Red vs Blue: The Recruits (Mini-Story)
by Monty Mason
Summary: As the Reds and Blues are slowly fragmented in a war they never wanted to be a part of, there are new recruits that are slowly making their journey towards Blood Gulch. Story is about the recruits seen at the end of my S20. Rated M for a reason. Not part of the official Rooster Teeth timeline.
1. Enter - Cholo

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Red vs. Blue IP, nor any of the characters from the official show. Rooster Teeth and any other investing parties are the rightful owners to that. I however do own the story as well as any original characters here.**

**Rated M for Mature as it contains language and possibly other mature content.**

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**Red vs Blue: The Recruits**

**Chapter 1: Enter – Cholo**

The sky was as clear as the pure ocean. No clouds to be seen in sight anywhere. The blazing heat rained down yet another dreadful day. In the middle of seemingly nowhere, stood a lone gas station by the roadside. A man in beige shorts and flip flops lets out heavy snores for the world to listen. His face was covered by a poblano hat. The hat did little to block the heat as he still found the itching discomfort of the heat tickle his skin. The man felt thirst eat away at his throat as he was greeted by an annoyed awakening. With a few licks of his lips, he reached for his chilled lemonade bottle beside his white plastic chair which has seen better days. He wiped his thick, beefy, black moustache clean of the built up sweat and took another swig of his lemonade. He stood up to meet the uncomfortable heat exert force against his skin to push him back down from the depths of laziness which he just escaped. He took his shirt and wiped his olive skin clean of the sweat build up.

A loud trailing sound echoed behind the man as he raised his thick eyebrows to the noise. He positioned his poblano hat atop his neck length hair and stretched his arms all the while flexing his muscles in pride. Several trucks drove into the gas station as the driver in his quick impatience triggered the horn. The gas attendant nearly jumped out of his flip flops as he shot an annoyed stare to the man in a government issued uniform behind the wheel. The driver once again used the horn to hasten the attendant's approach. "Quit spacing out over there Cholo, we ain't got all day!"

"Oh come on hombre, what's the hurry?" Cholo unhinged the gas pipe and inserted the nozzle into the tank with extreme precision. "The day is still young, and the mistress heat is there to soothe you into multiple naps of happy fun time. Just enjoy the day bro."

"Yeah, I will enjoy it when my shift is over," spoke the man next to the driver. Cholo heard the huge line of trucks behind the one he was servicing and eyed their haul. "More debris?"

"Yup, all thanks to the resident _heroes_, the reds and blues," spoken sarcastically by the driver. Cholo heard the tank finish refueling and moved to service the next truck. As he inserted the nozzle into the tank, he climbed the side of the truck against the protests of the truck passenger. Cholo noticed that the cleanup crew was still taking out the destroyed debris of the large battle between the terrorists and the Reds and Blues in large bulks. The driver stopped his friend with a firm shake. "Let him be, he is always like this."

The passenger looked in the rear view mirror and smirked. "Almost looks like a hyper active monkey if you ask me."

"Ha, ha, ha, maybe that is what he actually is," joked the driver as Cholo played with a metal structure. He looked at the long road towards the nearest city. _They sure did work up the city good, me likes it_. Cholo threw the debris down as he jumped down to extract the nozzle. He slammed the side of the truck with enough strength to be heard, but not annoy the driver at the same time. The next truck stopped by, as did another, and then another until eventually the line was cleared and the bank account was happy. Cholo looked around at the once again desolate roads as he scratched his belly in boredom. _Hmm, what can I do now?_ He pondered as he sat back down. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with an idea, a most interesting idea. _No one is here, privacy while being out in the open_. Cholo looked around once more. _Score!_ He rushed inside the store and took out his most desired pass time ever since he had hit puberty. _Heh, feels like I'm a naughty boy back in high school again_. He flipped through the pages with one hand, and the other slowly moved down South. _Oh sweet beautiful bliss, if this is heaven then I'm glad to be alive right now_, he pondered as deep grunts escaped his mouth.

The sudden swing of the front door however went unnoticed to his lusty mind. As he was getting faster, so were the taps of high heels walking towards the counter. The woman in those heels, high and sharp enough to send shivers of worry down a man's spine, stopped by the counter to notice his self pleasuring grunts with a great sigh of disgust. "Really Cholo, in the middle of the day and you are already touching yourself?"

"Sí, no entres sin llamar, Claudia! What you want?!"

She rested one hand against her hip and shook her waist to one side with a sharp finger pointed at the entrance. "A customer wouldn't come knocking in. Didn't you hear the bell?"

Cholo stared at the bell atop the door shaking from left to right, in a hypnotic gesture. He turned his attention towards her, and like the clueless monkey he sat as, he shook his shoulders while baby eyed. Claudia let out an annoyed sigh. "You should find yourself a girlfriend."

"Oh, maybe you would like to volunteer," a smirk crawled up the one side of Cholo's lips. "You know, sexy times together, cousin."

"I can give you a good shake up to the family jewels."

"Oh la, la, you so naughty Claudia."

Her face quickly turned to that of disgust as with a slight retreat, she quickly hurried her way out of the store. He looked down to his bushier regions and sighed at the terrible state of the situation. _I was so close to seeing the climax of this play, but now that plot is no more_. Outside the shop, a car pulled up and Cholo quickly caught wind of the vehicular noise. He stood up instantly the moment he heard the doors open. The sound of money echoed in his ears, and his eyes could see a shower of it. The store's door swung open, with his chest puffed out proudly and a smile hooked from one cheek to the other, he welcomed his customer with open arms. "I, Cholo, shall service you today customer!"

The customer was quick to get in their vehicles and lock their doors though. Cholo wondered why that was, and the rest of the transaction was completed in silence. Only later did he realize the scared look in the customer's eyes that he inflicted with his words. _Service you today…service you…hmm…I think I see the problem here_. But he cared not much to think on it as he quickly found a way over that thought.

Before he realized it, the sky turned a shade of dark blue, and the closing time came about. He happily hummed a rather uplifting tune as he closed the shutters on the windows. _Today was a good day for the bank_. He pondered as he looked through his personal device's bank app. He hopped into his car and took off his shirt to reveal his undershirt. A thin white layer of cotton clothing that was soaked with sweat from the deadly hot day. He tied his shirt atop his head and started his low-rider. He felt the gravity rebound him up and down from the force of his bouncing car thanks to it's hydraulic customizations. He floored it and sped away onto the main road that led to his family home. "Aye, buen dia hoy, time to go home and get me some good spicy Tacos in me."

So, as the strange Mexican man went home bouncing up and down in his car, no doubt looking like a lunatic to the normal drivers, he smiled proudly. No matter the stare, no matter the comments, and no matter what others thought of him, he was a proud happy Mexican, doing what he knows best. Perving 24/7, making bank, eating good Mexican food, living carefree and continuing to be the one and only, Cholo!

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**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back to some more RvB Content!**

**This is not an official follow up to my Season 20, but a mini-story. This will help introduce those recruits you read about at the end of Season 20. This is also written as I don't have Season 21 prepared yet. I'm still in the planning process of it.**

**I hope you enjoy this mini-series. The chapters will be short in length as this is a mini-series. There is also a return to comedy (or whatever you would consider this subjectively speaking). No more of that depressing only stuff as seen in Season 20. I hope this helps tide some of my dedicated readers over till Season 21 eventually releases.**

**I will add also that it has been a long while since I wrote anything (RvB Season 20 was my last story). So my writing is rusty and may not seem as polished as my previous release. I hope that does not deter your enjoyment however.**

**As always, thank you for your support and patience. Thank you for sticking by me and waiting for new content!**

**Let me know what you think.**

**~ Monty**


	2. Enter - Johnny

**Chapter 2: Enter – Johnny**

Traces of morning light entered a dimly lit room. The curtains closed for the most part brought relief to it's inhabitant. A dark haired man rubbed his crusty eye lashes as a loud yawn escaped his mouth and echoed through the room. He gently rested his free hand on his chubby belly, roundly shaped like a dome stadium. He gently sat up as he heard the springs of his bed creak and complain. He looked around and closed the slight sliver of light that shined inside. _Hmm, another day_, he pondered to himself. _Just another day_.

He slowly slithered his body out of bed, all the while enjoying the silky smooth feeling of his bed sheets. He walked over into the washroom as he scratched his butt with a satisfying morning scratch. Morning ritual completed, he did his hair. He opened a circular shaped cap of a rounded case. He dug his fingers into a soft and slimy, yet so very cold material to help shape his hair. However, as quickly as he got the motivation, he seemed to lose it as well being halfway through the hair patch. _Ah man, what a drag_. He pondered as he forced his hand to finish what they began. He studied his handy work and gave a look of self approval. Out and about, he walked to his mini-fridge where he kept his cans of beer, and sat down by his computer side. _So, how do I rake in cash today?_

He browsed over to the sites he made use of as a freelancer. He studied the notification bell with a frown. _No new jobs_. He sighed with frustration as he looked over to his second monitor. _I really do need to quit going to that place over and over again_. He opened a rather special browser that granted him access to more sinister areas of the internet, the deep web. With great care and mindfulness for security, he travelled to his merchant store that housed his products. A rather ironic smile came upon him as he shook his head not believing the results. _Are you kidding me? I ended up making some sales on that ransomware I made the other day. Johnny you devil, why is it that no matter how hard you try, you just can't leave this world_.

Within the last twenty-four hours, there were a total of five purchases of his malicious ransomware packages. Even in this day and age of advanced technology and security, there are those undeterred. No matter the security measures, there are those who will always find the exhilarating thrill in breaking the system. Johnny crossed his arms and wondered about just how much can he afford to leave behind if he were to quit this lifestyle. While morally it would be correct to stop selling the tools of cyber destruction to others, financially it would be less so. To his wallet, the money from the legitimate freelancer jobs was like pocket money, but the deep web, now that's where the gold is. Johnny stood up with his chubby legs, deforming with the fat pulling down with gravity. He paid it no mind as he reached over to a crate of chips and snapped one open. Johnny ensured his VPN was still running as he opened a reply window to one of the prospective package buyers. _What the hell am I doing, didn't mom grill me enough about this already?_

His fingers typed as if they were in auto-pilot mode. He felt his heart beat a loud one in his chest. Like an alarm went of in his head, he stopped and looked at the screen. His words, professional yet frightening. The language of a deep web dweller that seemed so meticulously crafted. It was the language of someone that no longer seemed to belong on the normal web. He gently let his hands fall to his side as he stared blankly at the screen for a moment. In that moment, which he took to compose himself, he felt the heaviness on his heart. This ransomware had made him quite a rich man for someone that was always staying indoors, for someone that his parents considered him to be nothing but a failure, to have gone down the wrong path._ But at what cost?_ He pondered. _Is this heaviness regret, sorrow…guilt?_

He slapped the sides of his face and shook his head. _No, get back into business mode for now. A deal is a deal, and I need to follow through_. He sent his message and sighed back into his chair. He followed through with his replies to the other buyers and simply waited now, waited for the next step in his dirty deed to his clients. Johnny stood up and laid back down into his bed with his message alerts running in the background. He lied with the bag of chips beside him as he scratched his fat belly in wonderment. _What else is there for me to do now in this life aside from this?_

He thought back to all the times he tried other things. _There is only this_. He let out a loud yawn and took a good, hearty drink of the beer. A very loud burp left his vocal confines and he lied down flat on his back. _This is such a drag_, he pondered looking at the time. It was still morning. He felt the fatigue already beginning to settle in. Johnny heard a ping to his left on the computer screen and immediately stood up. _Time to get back to work, the ransomware isn't going to pack itself_.

It wasn't long before the clear sky turned from a bright blue to a vibrant vermillion. A slight breeze blew outside his window. Johnny peered at the outside world from the side of his eyes and reached for the window curtains. _Doesn't seem to be as bright now. It seems nice actually_. He parted the curtains and gently rotated the lock on the windows. The glass paned windows gently swung open to allow for the breeze to enter his lungs, and invigorate what little energy he had left. He looked back at the computer with a raised eyebrow and pondered the nature of the document. _This is one strange request I got. I have imbedded malware in a lot of things before, but doing it in a police document is a first for me_. Johnny sat back down at the desk and studied his handiwork. _Whoever this client really is, they must have something against the police if this is how they are hoping to sneak in_. Johnny quickly packed the whole package together, and keeping his business composure, he managed to deliver it in a timely fashion. _What should I do for dinner?_

Johnny stood up to study his pile of food in his fridge and felt his stomach drop instantly at the sight of frozen dinners. _When the going gets tough…_, Johnny begrudgingly took one of the dinner trays out from the box and heated it as per instructions. He scrolled through his phone with a fast thumb. Like a computer, processing data at the speed of light, he too similarly studied his contacts until he came upon his desired search result. With a brief pause as the dial went through to the other end, he heard the familiar voice of his sister. "Hey sis, was wondering if you could help me out."

A heavy sigh on the other end was enough to tell him her feelings on this plea. He could not blame her after all for all the times he has called out to her. She answered with a strongly annoyed voice. "What do you need me to get for you this time?"

"Some groceries, I can send you the shopping list later."

"You know," she took a brief pause to think. "You need to start stepping outside of your apartment Johnny. You can't keep on relying on others forever, eventually you will have to step out."

Johnny stared at the wall that stared blankly back at him in a growing quiet. He looked away from the phone and dreaded to think about such a day. "I will send you the list later. Thanks."

Johnny lied back down as he stared up at the wall. He looked down at his belly fat and pondered upon his sister's words. He himself knew that he looked like a good for nothing chubby, and a lazy prick. Even if his income may disagree, he could feel his body wasting away at this existence he presently led. An existence he so wished to change, yet lacked the motivation. Johnny knew that he is a man of many talents in the technical realm, yet he is an individual that seemed unfit for this 'normal' society. He was uncaring, yet caring to. He is a man filled with contradictions, but then again who isn't?

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**A/N: That is chapter 2 and another introduction for our second recruit. I'm sure a lot of you can tell a massive difference between Johnny and Cholo. I strived to try and make the recruits as different as possible from one another.**

**Feedback would be greatly appreciated!**

**Also, the upload schedule for this story will be sporadic. I don't have a set schedule for this. However, I will endeavour to update the story every weekend.**

**~ Monty**


	3. Enter - Bonnie

**Chapter 3: Enter – Bonnie**

In the midst of a midsummer day, a short raven haired woman stands in front of a once familiar site. Her green eyes scan every inch of the rubble in the process of being cleaned up by the cleanup crew. She watched them clean the part of the lot that she assumed was once her office. The livelihood she once had was no more with her employer having gone under after being a victim of the terrorists and the Reds and the Blues. _Calm down Bonnie, it's not their fault_. She echoed the thoughts in her mind. She turned to leave and looked back one last time. Reaching her apartment, where she worried for the eviction notice to arrive any day now, she unlocked the door to her home and entered. She rested the bag of supplies beside a half-eaten breakfast. She shoots a silent curse as she gently wraps it up and puts it in the fridge. _I hope its still alright. If I ration it properly, I should be able to make it last for another two days_. However, her stomach disagreed with a loud growl. _At least I hope I can make it last_.

She sat down by her cheap computer and sighed at the frustrations it brought her. As if like a car struggling to start its engine, the computer did not sound too happy to be turning on either. To her, it almost seemed like an act of retaliation for her continued negligence. _Gee, sorry computer, if only I was better with technology_, she pondered in a sarcastic tone. Bonnie noticed a more than usual number of notifications present. _That was fast, its only Monday morning. I can already imagine what they are_. She pondered to herself as she hovered over to the mailing application and studied every mail's subject line. _You give me a rejection, they give me one, everyone gives me a rejection. Rejection to go all around! Dammit_. She opened the emails to see the same bland pattern in their wording. No thought or effort put into it. Clearly it was the product of a quick template search with minor modifications. Bonnie walked over to her plastic bag and began to store the items away for safe storage. _I can probably only last five more months in terms of rent and food based on my savings. Although, I'm already behind on rent this month. I need to find something fast. Its ridiculous how just because I'm a graduate psychology major, no one is willing to hire me for jobs. No such things as over qualified, that's just a convenient term for them to justify filtering people into categories_.

Bonnie knew that the more she thought about this, the greater the anger arose from the deeper recesses of her mind. She dragged a seat by the large windows of her balcony and took a seat with a glass of wine in one hand. The wine helped to cool her mind with its bitter, yet sweet taste. _Things really went downhill for us little people after the whole war between the Reds and Blues, and the terrorists. I am thankful to them, because if it weren't for them, I would have been blown away by one of the nukes at that time. But I wonder if this is any better?_

She shook her head, but quickly stopped at seeing the wine nearly jump over the rim of the glass. _It's not their fault, it's more like the business owner's fault for never insuring the business properly_. She took another sip to calm the nerves. _I wonder how everyone else is holding up_. She stood up at the sudden ringing of her phone and rushed over as if nothing else mattered in the world right now. "Hello?"

"Hi," she could hear the gentle yet professional voice of a woman on the other end. "Am I speaking with Bonnie?"

"Speaking."

"Hi Bonnie, my name is Molly. I'm calling from the Mental Health and Treatment Centre in regards to the recent application you made for a part-time opportunity."

"Oh, yes," Bonnie's eyes suddenly lit up with a sliver of hope. "I remember."

"Well, we would like to know, are you still interested?"

"Yes!"

"Would you be able to come in for an interview this coming Thursday at 2:00 PM?"

"Yes, that time works great for me."

"Fantastic," Molly answered as Bonnie heard a few clicking and clacking noises in the background. No doubt it was Molly's keyboard. "We will see you then Bonnie, have a great day."

"Looking forward to it, thank you so much for the call. Have a great day!" Bonnie gently placed the phone on the table as she let her heart calm and her breaths regulate normally. It wasn't long before she quickly went to work in diligently preparing for the interview, and ensuring her knowledge is up to date and ready to recall at any given moment. She studied day and night, her eye was on the goal.

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Two days passed, and it was Thursday. The interview time was creeping up on her, and she could feel her heart deepen in beat with every passing minute. In the mirror, she studied her three button suit with a knee height skirt, her stockings pulled up neatly to not leave any creases. Her tie was saddled up against her neck, two pieces of ear jewelry rested on each ear. Light black eye liner coursed its way from the inside to the outside edge of her eyes to complement her raven hair. Her short hair was combed down from the top to her bottom right. Her lips were glossed in a bright red lipstick and the skin of her face lightly powdered to leave a happy scent wherever she visited. Bonnie gently sprayed some perfume on her wrists and rubbed it around to complement the smell of the powder. She held her small purse in one hand and studied her posture in the mirror. _You got this girl_. Bonnie suddenly became alert at the sound of the pre-set warning alarm. She quickly fastened her high heel shoes around her ankles and hurried for the door. _Hopefully I will be coming back here with some favorable results tonight_.

Bonnie opted to take the public transit that still operated in certain areas of the city. She made her way down to the non-profit organization's offices. She walked in confidently with just twenty minutes to spare prior to her interview. A courteous smile was worn on her lips, she announced the details of her visit, and the intention while projecting a strong confident individual as she had planned to. _Just remember, be confident Bonnie. You will have this in the bag if you just remain confident and show them that you know your stuff. Also, don't give in to that habit_.

At the direction of the receptionist, she took a seat on the padded chairs by the reception desk. She picked up a magazine, however, before she could even begin flipping through it, Molly was already out and about. Molly, a woman in her early twenties, dressed in tight jeans and a loose, breezy top with a flowery pattern. Her long orange hair was made into a wavy form, and her freckles hardly hidden by her makeup. "Hello Bonnie, how are you today?"

"I'm good, how about you?"

"I'm good myself, thank you for asking. If you will just follow me, I will take you to the interview room," Molly led the way. Bonnie followed quietly, but studiously noting her surroundings. _For a non-profit, they sure do have access to some good equipment here. The office space is not too bad_. The two ladies entered a small office with a rectangular desk, and three chairs. Two chairs sitting opposite to one. Her second interviewer was already seated, anxiously so as Bonnie could tell based on the interviewer's weak posture, and a gaze that averted from Bonnie's many times. The second interviewer stood up and shook Bonnie's hand rather weakly, this caused a rather surge in confidence in Bonnie. _If this is what I'm up against, then this shouldn't be too bad. Although, how'd ever someone like this get to work with patients?_

"So, tell us a bit about yourself Bonnie," asked Molly. _The usual slew of questions first. I bet that Cassie here didn't get the chance to read my resume yet. Trying to buy time probably_. Bonnie began with an almost pre-rehearsed response, yet natural enough to fit the situation. Sure enough however, just as Bonnie had thought, Cassie did not indeed read her resume ahead of time. Cassie reached for her sheet of questions and began to make her way down the list. With every question, Bonnie felt her confidence increase. But so did her hubris as her judgemental attitude continued to escalate. _No, chill it Bonnie, you don't want to drop the ball here_. Molly looked over to Cassie and noticed that her questions were complete. Molly asked one last one before wrapping up the hour long interview. "Do you have any questions for us?"

"Yes, a couple," Bonnie admitted as she asked the first. "I'm definitely interested in this opportunity, and would love to know if there is ever any chance of this becoming full-time?"

"That's a fair question," Molly replied. "As you know, we are a non-profit. So we are primarily dependant on the budget we get and how healthy our workforce is. If there is ever an opportunity, we tend to post it internally first to give our employees a heads up. So there is a chance."

"Okay, how about the next steps?"

"We are interviewing others today, based on our decision after that, we will contact you and let you know if we are proceeding with your candidacy or not."

"Okay, thanks."

Both Bonnie and Molly heard the loud clang of a pen bouncing against the floor. Cassie scrambled to fetch it as it rolled closer and closer to Bonnie's feet. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I can be such a klutz sometimes."

Bonnie reached down to pick it up just before Cassie could get to it. "Here is some advice, try to seem more confident. It doesn't help the other person on the receiving end if that individual appears to look weak. Here is your pen."

"O- Okay…"

Molly cleared her throat, breaking the rather awkward situation and led Bonnie out the office. "Thank you for coming down here today. We will be in touch."

"Thank you for having me here," Bonnie parted with one last handshake and looked up at the sky just outside of the building. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm such an idiot. I blew it, god-fucking-dammit!_

* * *

Sure enough, the next day what she feared came to pass. A rejection email sat in her inbox from her part-time job interview. _I hate myself for being so judgemental all the time. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even fit to be a psychologist_. Bonnie angrily shut the computer down and dug her face into the pillow of her bed. _It's been three months since I started looking for work. Five months since I was laid off. Even with all of my experience, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm even the employable sort or not_.

Bonnie stretched her legs as she ran her fingers through her hair. She could feel her nails dig into her scalp in a pleasurable sensation. Her scratch satiated, she looked out to yet another beautiful day. _Maybe I should go take a walk. But where will I go to?_ She pondered as she readied herself. Still in her pajamas, she put on her sneakers and stepped outside. A mildly strong breeze blew from her right and pushed her along to the left. It was as if the wind wanted to take her somewhere, and her feet complied with little to no qualms about it. Walking, walking, and walking, she finally came upon the site the wind took her to. It was her old office site. _I always end up back here one-way or another. Bonnie, you have a problem. You need to learn to move on_. She sighed to herself in fatigue, tiredness of everything that has been happening lately. _Should I consider a career change? It seems to be the more likely option at this rate considering my inability to keep my judgemental side shut_. The lone woman, standing in front of the rubble stared on, saddened at her state of life, and cursed her own weaknesses. This young psychologist that once had a promising career now sat at the lowest point of her life as it is right now, while pondering her next move. Bonnie, a strong, but a weak woman right now, broken by the war of the past like many others, but life must find a way to move on and it shall for her.

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**A/N: Another rookie introduced and out of the way!**

**What do you think about Bonnie based on the small introduction?**

**Which team do you think she will be on?**

**Hope you are enjoying this story so far. Trust me, it will all come together in the end :).**

**Any respectful feedback is appreciated!**

**Thank you for reading. ****Till next time!**

**~ Monty**


	4. Enter - Marcus

**Chapter 4: Enter – Marcus**

A loud, heavy and grungy noise echoed constantly in his ears as it did throughout the neighborhood too. A man dressed in a dumpster collection uniform sat behind the steering wheel. His small, thin curly moustache and thin beard were neatly kept, surprisingly so considering his occupation. He drove down a suburban area and collected all the garbage with the aid of his co-worker in the back, who operated the machinery at times whenever any hitches occurred. His partner for the most part however sat in the back often. _Lucky bastard, doesn't even need to do much work_. The man looked in the side view mirrors to study the incoming cars and pulled out as soon as the coast was clear. He heard a knock from the back. "What is it?"

"Marcus, there are loads of kids out playing today. Slow down bro."

"You don't need to remind me Neil, I know."

"Hey man, we don't want a repeat of last year," Neil commented much to Marcus' irritation. "Hey Neil, learn to shut the hell up. I didn't do jack shit then. It was never my fault."

"Sure, whatever you say."

_Control. Gotta control myself_. Marcus looked ahead and stopped by another garbage bin. _At least I'm not the one sitting by the garbage compactor_. He smirked at that small piece of positivity. Marcus adjusted his cap and brushed his brown hair back. He gently tucked the cap back on securely and saw Neil struggle in the back. _Heh, that's what you get or trying to bust my balls_. He heard the growing grunts and laughed hysterically. Neil was not one to remain deaf to his surroundings and shot a glare towards Marcus. "Yeah, laugh it up you Anonymous looking wannabe, we will see who is laughing tomorrow when you are here in the back."

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of you crying like a little girl."

"Oh, you are a natural born comedian," Neil replied as he finally got the garbage to enter the compactor. Marcus looked back to see the bin being returned to its original place on the road. _About time_. He drove forward once more to only repeat the process once more. The day went by smoothly, and before long, the two found themselves at the truck depot. Neil was finishing up the final checks for the day when Marcus stepped in. His uniform, still clean, where as the same could not be said for Neil. "Looks like you got real intimate with the garbage today."

"Fuck you."

Marcus didn't understand why, but for some reason that struck a nerve in him. He knew Neil only meant it as a playful response, yet to his mind it seemed like one of aggression. He took in a deep breath to calm himself, only to find the gagging reflex to be strong. _Great, this is what I get to do tomorrow. Maybe I should call in sick_. Neil wiped his hands clean and stored away any additional equipment. "Say Marcus, you want to get some Chicken down at Greasies?"

_Greasies, yuck. I'm feeling more like a sandwich kind of guy today_. He stepped down from the truck and locked up. "I recall your wife telling you to eat healthier."

"Oh come on, she wouldn't need to know, plus once in a while is fine."

"There are better options out there."

"Like?"

"Sandwich, I hear a new place just opened up near Greasies," Marcus entered the changing room followed by Neil. The two men quickly cleaned up, changed and grabbed their bags. Neil took a seat by the public transit stop as the two waited patiently.

"Okay, but what difference does that make? I'm sure the sandwich place is not that healthy either."

"It's healthier than greasy chicken," Marcus rebutted in a firmer tone. Neil's voice suddenly lost all vigor it once had a few moments ago. Marcus saw the bus make its approach and stood up with Neil. The two men boarded and found a seat befitting their seating desires. Neil finally relented and agreed to Marcus' choice. _Score_, thought Marcus. _I win_. Several minutes later, the two men got off the bus and stared in the direction of the store. Neil followed Marcus closely as he began. "Did you hear about the news surrounding the attempted murders lately in this area?"

"Yeah," Marcus answered, a little cautiously. "It's been getting annoying hearing about it constantly."

"Dude, this is a murderer trying to take someone's life," Neil shot back with slight disbelief at Marcus' detached response. Marcus stared back and kept his mouth shut. Neil held the door open for the two men to enter and they stood in front of the large menu displayed by the cash register. "Anyways, we should be careful here."

"Sure."

* * *

"What are you two having?" the store employee asked. The two men went ahead and put in their order. Marcus sat down by the window as Neil soon joined him as they waited for their food. Neil studied Marcus' far off gaze. "You are off in your own world again, aren't you?"

"Hmm?" Marcus looked at the curious friend and back out the window again with a small smirk. "Not really, just admiring the _scenery_."

"Of course, a lot of _scenery_," Neil agreed with a sly smirk of his own as he then asked. "So, which one has caught your eye?"

"That woman in the blue blouse, easily a nine out of ten," Marcus pointed out to the one sitting by herself outside a coffee shop. Her hair was tied back into a long pony tail that Neil immediately picked up on. "You are into that sort of thing aren't you?"

Marcus however gave no response. Neil noticed her somewhat outlandish jewelry and pondered of her profession. Marcus took a closer look at her clothing style. "Might be in the fashion industry."

"Could be," Neil agreed as he then turned back to his friend. "But you know, there is only one ten out of ten."

"Let me guess," Marcus began as he noticed the waiter place their plates down. "Your wife?"

"Maybe," Neil remarked biting into his turkey and bacon sandwich. Marcus squished the two breads together and saw the steak juices leak out from the delectable meat and onto the plate, leaving his mouth wet. _Yeah, she definitely is a ten out of ten_. His only thought as he remembered the warmth of her lower lips in the early days of her marriage with Neil. His friend of course was none the wiser to his foolish acts with his wife. But that did not last long as she grew a conscience and quickly began a campaign of avoiding his sexual advances until the flames of passion Marcus felt at one point towards her fizzled out. No matter how guilty she seemed in his eyes in the presence of her husband, he could never understand why. After all, it was just a transaction in the end. A transaction of pleasure which both could passionately ravage one another in. _People sure are strange_.

Marcus finished the last bite of his sandwich. "Now that's dinner."

Neil looked at his friend with a small smile. "Yeah, but was it really better than Greasies' chicken?"

"Miles better," Marcus replied with certainty as he took their trays for drop-off. Neil gathered their things and handed Marcus his bag on the way out. "Your bag is much heavier than mine. What do you carry in there?"

* * *

"Just the usual tools."

"So do I, and mine doesn't weigh like a body builder's training bar."

"Anyways," Marcus stopped a few steps ahead and pointed to his right. "Want to cut through this alley here?"

Neil's eyes suddenly widened at the proposition as he looked nervously from the long thin alley to Marcus. "You remember what I said about the recent news regarding murder attempts?"

"Yup."

"This is not really a good idea man," Neil relented as he began to walk away. However, he was not quick enough to escape Marcus' grasp. "Oh, cool it man. Nothing will happen. Plus, I bet you want to get home to your wife faster. If we cut through here, we can catch the quicker bus home."

"Fine," Neil gave in to the continued pressure as Marcus allowed for his friend to go in first. Neil could hear the zipper open and close behind him. "Don't slow us down now, especially not after you giving that talk about getting home quicker."

Marcus quietly followed as he checked his surroundings. _Just the way I like it for settings like these_. Neil took notice of the head turning, more so than usual for Marcus. "Did my talk about attempted serial killer get to you that much?"

"No, but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out," Marcus commented as he continued to walk at least two steps behind Neil. Marcus' friend however felt the unease from the close trail and quickened his pace. But that was in vain as Marcus only followed suite to match Neil's. "Dude, no need to stick so close."

"What's the harm?"

"Um, that you are being creepy," Neil replied as he stopped Marcus just outside of his comfort zone. "Seriously man, you are acting off today. What's with you?"

"Hm?" Marcus however acted none the wiser as his gaze shifted from Neil to his surroundings. "No clue about what you mean."

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

"Lay off me."

"Only if you stop following me so closely," Neil answered leaning in closely. _You talk about personal space, but you lean in to mine yourself? You hypocrite_, pondered Marcus as he felt yet another nerve struck today. Neil leaned in even closer. For some reason, Marcus could feel himself unhinging. He felt his body slowly begin to move on its own. His actions were miles ahead of his thoughts by now. The impulsiveness took over. Neil turned around at the lack of response to continue his walk. He stared back in caution as he noticed a slower pace from Marcus. _Did I get through to him? Maybe I did_. But before he knew it, before he fully realized the gravity of the exchange previously, he felt a sudden pain course from his back. His once dry shirt felt wet. The crimson flowed down his back to the ground left a wide eyed Neil to slowly deepen his breath in panic. Marcus stared at the knife dug into Neil's back intently as he felt a sense of relief. The release of the impulsiveness left him satisfied for the sight induced no emotions of any sort. It was a relief, but one that left him as an empty shell.

Neil slowly felt his legs weaken as with every step he took, every time they trembled from the injury and fear, he slowly came closer to the ground. The cold hard ground which was ready to embrace his warm body. Eventually, Neil lost all strength to walk on. He could see the end of the alley. He was so close, yet so far. Marcus moved closer to retrieve his knife. "The injury shouldn't be that bad. But I must say, after so many attempts, it finally felt so good to completely let go."

"Wh- Why?"

Marcus reached into Neil's pocket to retrieve his phone and unlocked it with success. "Because I have struggled as a bonafide psychopath ever since I was young, at least that's what the adults in my childhood told me. There was just no other way for me to find satisfaction, other than imagining of all the ways I can kill people. You were my first victim Neil, maybe you will be the last."

"What are y- you doing?"

"Calling the ambulance," Marcus answered as he sent a dial through. The attendant dispatched an ambulance quickly after hearing of the situation. Marcus dropped the phone by Neil's side. "Call your wife, in case you don't make it. It was good knowing you. Maybe see you around."

Marcus quickly disappeared into the opposite end of the alley. Neil lied still, slowly bleeding out, his warm blood pooled to his side as he could feel the night breeze settling in, and cool the warm open wound. The nerves that ached with pain as he silently cursed Marcus for the betrayal of his trust. He cursed him for the complete and utter shock. Marcus walked out and left the area promptly to handle cleanup. It wasn't long before the ambulance and the police arrived on scene. However, by then, Marcus had already left on a transit bus.

Marcus sat back to study his shirt, slightly drenched in red but not very noticeable. _I need to get rid of this evidence. What shall I do after that?_ He pondered as he took out a few pills and swallowed a couple. _Maybe you wouldn't have been injured if I had taken these before Neil, oh well, that's life_. Marcus looked out the window to the bustling city area he now entered and wondered just what the purpose of people is to be laughing out and about like this. _What meaning is there to life without a little danger involved? That's where the real fun comes in_. However, these thoughts quickly subdued as he could feel the pills take effect. _These new pills sure work fast_. As the sky darkened, Marcus sat lonely in the bus, aimlessly riding to a destination he knew not of. As the psychopath within him calmed, the more reasonable man took over, and yet no remorse ever glistened from his eyes. There was only satisfaction. A satisfaction which he had been so deeply ostracized for in the past by his parents, teachers and friends. But with him finally having laid a hand on someone, he pondered where his life will take him next for there is no return to his life as a garbage collector. _There is only the next gig now, probably somewhere far, far away from here_.

* * *

**A/N: So, went a **_**little**_** dark there and mature, but you know, everyone comes from different backgrounds. Sometimes, some people just tend to come from an extreme background.**

**What do you think about Marcus?**

**Which team do you think he will be on?**

**Hope you are enjoying this story so far.**

**Any respectful feedback is appreciated!**

**Thanks for reading this chapter, I appreciate your continued support! :)**

**Till next time!**

**~ Monty**


	5. Enter - Daisy

**Chapter 5: Enter – Daisy**

A young woman of slight chubby build stood in front of her locker room mirror. She stared at her pink hair fall down by her side as she undid the rubber band. Her red and white uniform that echoed the sentiments of a fast food worker constantly acted as a reminder. It was a reminder of how lucky she truly is to be able to hold a job in this declining market. The rising costs didn't help that situation any. The woman named Daisy, took off her name badge and gently stored it inside her bag as she put on her long coat and tied it around her waist. Her manager greeter her on her way out. "Good work today, see you tomorrow."

"Thanks," she beamed a smile at the manager just as she left the building. Outside, she unlocked her car and sat inside for a moment. As she sat playing with her fingers, she wondered the importance of going home at this given hour. _Will she be mad as usual again?_ Daisy pondered as she fixed a stray strand of hair. Daisy looked to her left and noticed a family exiting the restaurant. It was a beautiful day, perfect for eating out as the three took a seat on the outside benches. Daisy couldn't help but feel a little smile creep up on her lips at the sight of the happy boy as he anxiously waited for his mother to give him some fries. _Cute kid, seems well behaved_. She recalled when the last time was that her family ever ate like that. _That was ages ago, when things still seemed like a paradise to my naïve little eyes as a kid_. She however quickly shook her head to snap out of the passive thoughts and started the car. _If only Grandpa's inheritance didn't come and tear the family apart_. She backed out of the parking spot and was quickly driving out from the parking lot. She made a sharp right and drove onto the main road. To her, outside of work, this was one of the times where she felt she was completely alone to sort out her own thoughts and feelings. This was a time cherished most for its ability to grant her the required inner peace.

_I wonder if I should stick to pink hair, or go with another color?_ She pondered making a lane switch. _But then again, a lot of people seemed to love this one. I like it a lot as well, seems very vibrant_. She pulled ahead of another car in which she noticed quite a pleasant sight. _Hmm, he is handsome. Should I enter the dating scene again too? It wouldn't be so bad_. She thought, but did recall the reason for her last relationship to break down and end, her mother. She made a turn off the main road and into a suburban area. _Well Daisy, time to go confront your mother…again_. She pulled up on the drive way of a medium sized house. Inside, a frail woman noticed the car from the living room window as she sat hunch backed. Her scowl was so strong that it pierced out the house and through the car, sending a chill down Daisy's spine. Daisy turned off the car and slowly opened the door. She stared at the gray haired woman, staring back at her. This moment was ever so familiar. It felt the same as when she was child, and her father was leaving the house. It was only later she learned that her parents had divorced. The stare was of detest, and of pent up anger unjustly directed towards her. She gently unlocked the door and entered as quietly as possible. The mother entered the door way and scoffed at her daughter. "About time you got home."

* * *

"Mom, please, don't start now. I just got here. I have had a tiring day at work."

"Tiring day," the mother repeated with the shake of her head. "You young kids now days don't know tiring. If anything, I gave you everything I could to make your life easy. You wouldn't know what hard work is!"

"Mom!" Daisy protested in return as the whole area quietened down. She moved past her mother and up into her room. _Every day, again and again. Why did you leave us dad?!_ She undid her uniform and neatly folded it to the side for use again tomorrow. She studied her slightly chubby build in the mirror and still saw the attractive woman that she was in the past. _Doesn't seem like my weight increased. I should go weigh it totally_. She gently pulled out the weight from under her bed and took note of the hair comb she received from her grandparents when she was young, a very precious hair comb. _It's ironic how it was you that ended up driving the family apart grandpa, even though you didn't do anything other than leave behind an inheritance to make sure everyone can be comfortable in their lives_. She measured her weight to a satisfactory result and put on her flower patterned blue pajamas.

Down in the kitchen, Daisy noticed a dirty plate on the dinner table, with nothing left over in the cooking pan. She could feel her frustration grow as no matter how many times they have had the conversation, it was always up to her in the end to take care of herself and her mother in this house. She suggested that her mother cook for them both as she stays at home, and that Daisy could use the help, but nothing ever came to pass of such talks. She gently placed the pan and the plate in the washing. "At least clean up after yourself mom."

"Watch your tone Daisy!" her mother strictly stated as she walked towards the fridge to grab her chilled medication. "I know how to take care of myself well enough."

"Just so you could leave a mess for others to clean up after you?" Daisy inquired, now feeling her anger take the over. But she quickly stopped herself from going any further. "Whatever, please just leave the kitchen. I need to make my own food and clean up here. You would just be in the way if you don't plan on helping out."

"Hmph, ungrateful child," the mother began to walk away. Yet her voice did not seem to lessen any with distance. "Who was it that raised you and gave you what you needed? Me. This is the thanks I get?"

_Gave me everything I needed?_ Daisy pondered with her eye brows frowned in irritation. _You couldn't give me everything. You could never give me a normal family, not after dad and you divorced. You could never give me a normal mother that I wanted, not after you constantly became sour, someone struggling with anger every waking moment of their life after the divorce. You could never give me the love of a normal parent because every time I look at you, I only see you trying to divert blame at me. You could never give me everything I wanted out of a normal family_.

* * *

As the silence grew in the room, the mother left in growing anger. Daisy took out a few ingredients and stared at them with a blank mind. No dish could come to mind, nor was there anything she had in mind that she wanted to make. Her eyes slowly drifted towards the freezer section. _Frozen dinner it is I guess_. Before long, she was done with her dinner and stared at the large pile of dishes still to be cleaned. She began the long awaited chore, and as her hands moved in a rhythm, her mind surfaced a rather unwanted memory.

Echoes of her parents arguing, and shouting at one another repeated. Her parents pretended like there was nothing wrong, everything was fine, but she knew better. The truth hurt her, but her parents' attempts at covering it up hurt her even more. The once serene home always turned into a place of dislike in her eyes. The apartment that she grew up in with the two people who helped raise her changed dramatically over the course of the battle of her grandfather's inheritance. Her whole family that was once a cohesive unit was torn apart over the ugly battle. No matter how hard her parents tried, they could never go back to being that same loving couple, not after the many jaded battles with their other relatives for a piece of the pie. Daisy stopped midway of the plate and stared at the photograph of her father. One of the greatest men she knew was reduced to nothing more than a greedy hoarder. He wanted money, her mother wanted money, her relatives wanted money. Everyone wanted money at that time, and none of them seemed any happier for it.

On a sunny day, she stood as a young girl by the door entrance to their apartment home. In a hurry, her father put on his shoes. His face was as firm as stone with an expression of anger. His gaze softened at seeing his daughter however. It almost seemed sad to her. "Where are you going dad?"

He could not bring himself to respond, he did not want to lie, nor did he want to be the messenger of truth. Daisy's mother however felt different as the anger had consumed her whole by then. "Your father is going some place far, far away for good. A place where he can never bother us again."

"What?" Daisy stared up at her mother's hatred wide eyed, and shaken by the tight grip on her arm. Her father so wanted to stop the physical abuse, he really did as she could tell from his hesitant actions. But she now understood that he had no legal capacity to do anything back then. In their divorce, her mother had managed to gain custody and her father was left with nothing.

No matter how much she shouted at her mother. "You are hurting me mom, stop it!"

The mother would do nothing but tighten her grip. "Just leave already you pathetic excuse for a man!"

The father bent down at the entrance and shot a small smile at Daisy. "Be safe and healthy Daisy, I'm sorry things turned out this way."

He stood up and much to her protest, she was held back by her mother. He opened the door and looked back one last time. "Good bye."

* * *

His last words always echoed so strongly in her mind. Daisy put down the soap sponge and rinsed off the dishes as she breathed a sigh of relief at finishing the chore. _Was money that important to everyone in this family? We hardly even talk with anyone else now_. She wiped her hands clean and studied her small nails beginning to grow back out. _I need to go cut them_. She left the kitchen only to be stopped by her mother. Daisy's once neutral expression quickly turned sour as she noticed what her mother was up to. The mother inspected each and every dish from every inch of it. A small smile overcame her as she found a small spot, still dirty. "Get back here and clean all of these again."

"Why?!"

"Because I told you to!" her mother shouted in retaliation. "You can't even clean the dishes properly and think that I will let some second rate work pass here? No! You will do exactly as I tell you to do!"

Daisy looked at the small spot on a drinking glass, where as rest of the dishes were clean. "Why do I have to clean all the dishes when its just that one glass?!"

"Because I'm telling you to!" the mother stepped closer with a raised hand. "How can you be this dumb, will hitting you make you understand?!"

* * *

_No, I have had enough. I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I don't want to fight anymore, I just want to live in peace. What can I do to achieve that, be a positive perky bimbo? Please, somebody just save me_. Daisy turned around and left as her mother continued to shout behind her. Up the stairs and in her room, she quickly locked the door behind her and breathed a temporary sigh of relief. _I don't like this fighting. I want to just be free. I'm…scared, where is my life going?_ She pondered as she slid down against the door, tightly wrapping her own arms around her body. Daisy sat in her own room that she liked to think of as a safe haven, separate from the rest of the world, it was a place where she could openly cry, laugh and ponder all the various things to come to mind. _I hate my life right now_. She stood up and dropped face first into her bed. _I hate my mother_. She felt something well up from inside. Her eyes blurred at the moisture build up. _I hate my circumstances_. With a quick motion to squeeze the pillow against her face, she let out a muffled scream. A scream begging for a way out, a way out from reality. _I hate money_.

* * *

**A/N: With this, ends the introductions of the recruits :).**

**What do you think about Daisy? – I realize the introduction chapters don't necessarily give you much to go on for all of them, but I hope it gives you a general idea of what these characters **_**could**_** be like.**

**Which team do you think she will be on?**

**Hope you are enjoying this story so far.**

**Any respectful feedback is appreciated!**

**Thanks for reading this chapter, I appreciate your continued support! :)**

**Till next time!**

**~ Monty**


	6. Enlistment - Cholo

**Chapter 6: Enlistment – Cholo**

At the crack of dawn, a proud rooster stood on one foot. The vocals at the ready, and with a deep breath in, the rooster cackled its morning cries. Cholo stirred in his bed as he looked up at the ceiling, wide awake. He slowly sat up and cringed at his muscles cracking about, like gears struggling to turn. The rooster continued to sing its morning joy much to the displeasure of many little village inhabitants, or at least what he considered to be a village, but developed enough to be a very small town. Cholo stood up and opened the windows to greet the morning breeze with a loud sneeze. He scratched his butt as per his morning ritual and stretched his back. Cholo moved about to finish the rest of his ritual with the thought of today's business possibilities. _I hope more sexy customers come by today, ya fun times!_

"Finally you are awake!" his mother exclaimed as she set out the breakfast plates. She took the clean cloth hanging by her side and wiped her soft hands clean. "I thought I would have to come up there and slap you awake."

"Oh mama, you so crazy," Cholo remarked with a rather perverse look. His mother quickly shook his gaze off and wondered out loud as to where she went wrong in raising him. "How did I manage to get such a perverted son as my first born?"

Cholo quickly took his fried eggs and potatoes, and scrunched it all down. "Thanks for the Mexican breakfast mama!"

"Just saying breakfast is fine."

"But I have to add in the Mexican in there because it helps makes it sound unique!"

"You know Cholo," his mother suddenly shot a hardened gaze his way. "I have been meaning to talk to you. You still have some time before you need to get to work. Come, take a seat."

"Okay...," as if like a cautious animal, he slowly stepped his way over to the chair. With every little bend of his knee to plant himself down, he avoided her gaze. He could already tell that this was going to be a serious conversation. "What is it mama?"

"I'm worried for you son," she began as she leaned closer with both her hands clamped together. "I know you take after your grandpa a lot and that's fine, but I worry for your future."

"Worried, why would you be worried when the family business is doing better than ever before?"

"That's only because of all the government contracts in the nearby areas," the mother rebutted. "What will you do when those end?"

Cholo remained quiet a moment before answering. "Have Claudia advertise on the roads with her top off?"

To that suggestion, he quickly received a swift slap on the head. "If she heard you say that, she would do worse than just a slap. It is a good thing she wasn't here, otherwise I may not be able to get grandchildren in the future."

"Come on mama, don't start with the grandchildren again. I still have my youth to live for!"

"Youth which you waste in perversion over women every day. You should be spending that time in trying to find a wife to settle down with," the mother lectured with her head raised high. "The stability of a good wife and a family will bring you more happiness when you are old than that of trying to be a playboy."

"Oh, sal de mi caso!" Cholo replied in a sudden burst of annoyance. The mother stood up just before Cholo could to leave, and instead blocked his only way out. "I will not get off your case son. I knew I shouldn't have let you spend so much time with your grandpa when you were just a little Cholo. You need to clean up your act son, otherwise I fear for what may become of your future."

Her son looked down to the floor, further annoyed at her attempts in trying to persuade him to her viewpoint. The silence began to settle in, but not before the whistle of boiling water from a kettle shot hot steam in the air and the mother hurried over. As she finished pouring the hot water into the tea mixture, she noticed her son had already left. _Oh Cholo, I only say these things because I care. This is the only way I know how to say it to you now son_.

* * *

At the gas station, Cholo pulled up to the back and parked his car in the employee area. He departed from the driver's seat and watched Claudia walk rather fast his way. She rested one hand on her hip as it swung opposite to the arm. "Do you know how long I have been waiting for you out here? You should never keep a lady waiting cousin."

"Sorry Claudia, mom kept me from leaving," he answered with the scratch of his belly as he reached in his back pocket for the keys. "Anyways, I really appreciate you helping me today."

"You can show me that appreciation by paying me at the end of the work day this time. It better not be a repeat like last time where I had to chase you down for three weeks before I got paid."

"No, no," Cholo waved his hands in confidence as he powered up the payment till and took out his morning checklist. "That time was different cousin, this time is also different. Now, go do your thing my sexy cousin. Go park your beautiful booty in front of customers by the road while holding this sign."

"You know, if it weren't for you signing my paycheck today, I would deck you in the nuts," she puffed before leaving. _Oh yes, shake it Claudia_, Cholo pondered lecherously eyeing her. Outside, Claudia unwrapped the sign and felt an immediate rise in frustration overcome her as she read the contents of the sign. _I think I will need to give you a good talking to later Cholo_. But, even to her surprise, Cholo's marketing tactic had worked. Cars were pulling in waiting for the service. Cholo ran outside to help the customers with a bright smile. "How do you do today?"

"Uhm, fine," the driver answered as he looked around with a growing blush. "Where is that special service that was mentioned on the board? To be honest, I only came here because of that..."

"Oh right," Cholo held up a finger as he began to retreat back into the store. "One moment please."

A few moments later, the doors swung open and a newly revitalized Cholo stepped out. "Are you ready for your special service sir?"

The driver lost all composure as he felt himself turn to stone at the sight of a grown Mexican man, wearing a thin bikini that did very little for his bushy crotch and a hairy chest. The driver slowly began to reach for the ignition, but was quickly stopped by Cholo's touch. "Come now, don't be shy. This is what you wanted, let me show you the new things in life. Let me...enlighten you."

One wink of what seemed loving in Cholo's eyes sent the driver in a frenzy as he stepped on the gas and drove away in absolute panic. The other drivers gazed at the scene with a horrific look on their faces. One by one, they all backed away. _I wonder why they all left. I think I'm one sexy boy if I do says so myself_, thought Cholo. Claudia held back a heavy laughter, and very glad to not be the victim of those drivers' lecherous gazes. Several government vehicles began pulling into the gas station. Cholo instantly recognized the driver, as did the driver. He leaned against the wheel upon turning off the ignition and studied the Mexican man with a raised eyebrow. "What are you up to there?"

"Hm?" Cholo looked at every vehicle occupant in the gas station stare at him. Strangely, this caused him to become flustered. _Is this the femininity effect people talk about sometimes. Have I found a new side to myself after putting on this bikini?_ He looked at the building lineup and quickly serviced the car. "I thought to promote our special services today. It seems that the other drivers didn't appreciate it. Their loss, they don't know the sexiness they are missing out on."

"Heh, I'm sure," the driver answered sarcastically. Cholo found the feeling of going almost completely clothless to be liberating as he stretched his arms. "Say, have you ever been told to not be who you are driver bro?"

The driver looked in the side view mirror as he took note of Cholo cleaning up the fuel area. "Where'd that come from dude?"

"From nowhere really," Cholo replied. "So, have you been?"

"Maybe once or twice," replied the driver as he scratched his chin to think long and hard. Cholo's interest instantly spiked and appeared like a ghost popping in front of his own target. "So what did you do?!"

"Whoa, relax there," the driver answered as he heard the horns behind him. "I chose to stay on my own path. I chose to be the type of person I wanted to be and work towards getting my goals for this job in mind."

"Neat piece of wisdom!"

"You bet your bare ass it is!"

* * *

Soon, the station became barren once more with Cholo being left to drown in his own thoughts. _Be who I want to be without caring much for what the rest of the world has to say_. That's a nice sentiment, he pondered before being knocked out of his own thoughts with the firm smack of the sign post held by Claudia. He scratched his head and looked at her rather angrily only to find her motion of 'check the time' with gentle taps on her wrist. Cholo's eyes widened as he noticed the time behind her. "Have I been really out that long?"

"Yeah," Claudia answered as she shook her rather visibly annoyed features. "I had to service a total about five customers in the time span you were busy taking your beauty nap."

"Good work cousin! Did you give them the _special service_ that only you can give?"

"Cholo, grow up," her response was immediate and lacking in all annoyance. Her tone was serious, and strong enough to set off a red flag in his mind. Cholo stopped her as she had begun to walk away with a firm grip on her wrist. "Cousin, can you answer me this one question?"

"What is it?"

"You tell me to grow up, mother tells me to grow up," he slowly looked up at her, and much to her surprise she found a set of weary eyes. "But what if how I behave right now is the real me, how can I grow up then?"

"You grow up by changing yourself. Forget your childish and perverted side," Claudia answered slowly loosening his grip. She rubbed the red mark where his hand once rested. "You applied too much pressure cousin."

"Sorry."

"It's strange to see you get so worked up over something," she commented before smirking to herself. "But seeing you be serious is not a bad thing either."

He watched her take her leave as he then looked down at the floor with a large frown painted across his face. _But what if being serious is not what makes me happy? I like being the way I'm. I feel happy that way_. He stood up and watched his cousin get back to work with renewed energy. _At least that little chat did someone some good I suppose_. The skies slowly darkened and his cousin came back in with the sign, neatly wrapped for storage. "Alright cousin, time to pony up my pay."

"Yes, yes," Cholo responded, causing an eyebrow to raise on Claudia. "You sound like you had almost forgotten about it."

"What, me?" Cholo replied as he nervously scratched the back of his head, while searching for the time sheet. He heard her crack her knuckles and that only prompted him to work faster. "Don't worry cousin, I'm a man of my word. Especially in situations where my family jewels are at risk."

He handed her a signed cheque and she gazed up at it with an almost childish curiosity. "Hm yes, I can't rob my auntie of her grandchildren now, can I? Anyways, see you later cousin. Call me again if you need help and are able to pay me for it."

"Wait!" Cholo reached out and held up a key. Claudia inched closer and gently took the dangling object into her hand. "This is for?"

"That gas station."

"And you are giving this to me because?"

"I'm going on a journey starting tomorrow," he responded only to receive a silent treatment from Claudia, her mouth dropped wide open and she continuously stared at him as if to study his mental health. Claudia stared back at the key and to him before asking. "So you are leaving me in-charge?"

"Exactly," he answered with a thumb up. "You catch on fast. No wonder you were always the brain child of our family cousin."

"Let me get this straight," she took a moment to compose her self and gently rested the key on the counter. "You want me to take over this gas station and the family business because you spontaneously decided that you wanted to go on a trip?"

"Yup!" Cholo suddenly felt the cold sting of the keys hit his nose hard. Claudia's vein popped out on her forehead in irritation. "Take your gas station and go blow up straight to the moon with it!"

"That's not very nice."

"I wasn't trying to be!"

"Oh come now cousin," Cholo suddenly stopped her much to her annoyance. "You always said you wanted to lead the family business when you were younger. Now is your chance."

Claudia stared up at her cousin, biting her lips. _Dammit, why did he have to remember that now of all times?_ She huffed and puffed. "Well that was the young me."

"But you have the brain for it!"

"So do you!" Claudia retorted as she stabbed a sharp jab of her finger nail into his chest. "If you would only seriously apply yourself to this, then I know you can do it!"

Cholo sighed and pushed the key back into her hand. "Please cousin, I realized that in order to be happy, I need to go on this journey. Some day, I will return."

"You are asking for a lot."

"You know you want to though," Cholo's eyes suddenly glimmered with a seductive shimmer. "I can see it in your eyes, you are thinking about it."

Claudia suddenly shifted her eyes away and closed them shut. "Y- You don't know a thing."

"Pretty please?" he begged with both his hands attached to one another. Claudia finally looked at his pathetic form as he was up against the floor, begging her which left her with a sense of dominance. She knew she couldn't lie to herself about that, it did make her feel good. _Is this what it means to be able to rule Cholo's life?_ Her eyes widened with realization. _I feel so enlightened all of a sudden. No longer shall you be able to make fun of me as you like cousin. Now I hold your fate in my hands...mwhahaha!_ She crossed her arms and felt a smirk tug itself to the one corner of her lips. "Fine, but I have a condition."

"Which is?" he instantly stood up with gratification. She raised one finger before speaking and pointed it all around the property. "All of this gets signed over to me. If you expect me to run this place, then I'm doing it properly, I'm doing it my way."

Without a second thought, he shook her hand and took out the ownership documents. Before the two of them knew it, the transaction was complete and Claudia was the new owner. Cholo watched her ecstatic self with a smile basking in her happiness. "Well, how does it feel?"

"It feels good, really good," she replied before turning to him. Her smile however quickly turned neutral and she shot a glare in his general direction. "Now get the fuck off my property and go on your journey."

"Gladly, which will be tomorrow!" he answered as he quickly left for the night, leaving Claudia to close shop. She was already well versed in the procedures, having spent enough time there to learn things at her own pace. Cholo however quickly knew now of what he needed to do. He knew that he needed to take a journey, and that the journey should take him to a new place, somewhere far, far away from here. He smiled at the spontaneous decision and looked up at the stars. "Wait for me, Cholo will be coming soon!"

* * *

The next morning, he woke up to his normal routine. However, one major difference was present. In the corner of his room, sat a large bag with his belongings, all packed about in a rough manner. He ate breakfast with a wide smile and went back up to the questionable stares of his parents. He came back down with the bag. His mother got up with a rapid fire of questions. He stood up by the front door. "Mother, father, thank you for everything. I'm going on a journey starting today!"

No other words were exchanged as he quickly left. His parents were left shocked and speechless at his sudden declaration. _Fine by me_, he pondered as he happily drove into the city and parked in a moderately busy parking lot. _Already so busy in the morning_. He walked inside the main recruitment building and noticed the various information booths. He immediately gravitated towards the one with the most attractive woman in his eyes. "Why hello miss."

"Can I help you today, sir?" she inquired in a rather neutral voice. Cholo straightened out his clothes and cleared his throat, a little taken back by her response. "Yes, I, Cholo am here to enlist and go on fun times adventures!"

_Fun times adventures? Oh boy, here is another weird one_, thought the woman as she began moving her fingers in a very recognizable rhythm. The screen in front of Cholo glowed with images swiping left and right. Eventually, the images stopped moving about and she handed him an electronic pen. He held its soft rubber grip and noticed the power button. _Fancy_. The representative behind the clear plastic window pointed at the tablet. "Please fill out your details on this digital form. Once you have done that, I will process it and give you a date for tomorrow to come in for a recruitment test."

"For you, anything," Cholo replied with the seductive squint of his eyes, and a smile that would embarrass the rest of his family. "Let's see here, name...Cholo the Mexican Badass..."

The representative could do nothing but keep her head down in shame and block out the stupid. _Think intelligent, happy thoughts, intelligent, happy thoughts_. Several minutes later, Cholo handed her the pen and she noticed the myriad of mistakes on the form. _Whatever, I just have to process is and let him go. The sooner the better_. She inputted the information and displayed a date on the window in front of Cholo. "Be there fifteen minutes before that time in this building tomorrow. Your recruitment test will take place at that time."

Cholo shot her a friendly thumb up and leaned closer, much too close for her comfort. "So, beautiful lily, you doing anything after your shift?"

The next thing Cholo knew, both of his arms were restricted, with each one held by a security personnel. "What'd I do?"

"You tried hitting on one of our employees sir, that is not a behaviour we find acceptable," one guard answered. Cholo kicked his legs in the air and shouted at the top of his lungs. "You cannot keep the Cholo out, for he will be back tomorrow to rule the army...because I'm badass Mexican!"

* * *

The next day, Cholo once again stood outside the building. He stretched his body, and much to the disgust of those passing by, his buttocks as well. _Spread those cheeks you sexy beast Cholo_. One of the guards exited the building to address the morning complaint. He however froze at the sight of a man spreading his butt cheeks, and then squishing them back together while singing what he could only make out to be a cheerful Mexican song. _Why do I get the weird ones, and this guy of all people?_ The guard sighed with sadness as he stepped down the staircase and held Cholo up by his shoulder. "Didn't you learn your lesson yesterday man?"

"I never give up!" Cholo countered with a bright smile smeared on his face. "Also, I'm here to give a test."

"A recruitment test?"

"A testly test."

"Okay," the guard maintained a strong grip on Cholo's shoulder as he guided him inside and sat him down. "Just wait here, someone will come to take you to this 'testly test', got it?"

"Yes, thank you guard man!"

"Great," the guard sarcastically answered and he left as fast as he humanely could. It wasn't long before a recruiter came to help take Cholo to the testing area and sat him down with all the necessary utilities. "First we will do the brain part, you will be tested on some basic stuff. It is all multiple choice so it should be fairly quick-"

The recruiter then noticed the rather dumb founded and gullible stare he received. "At least I think it should be quick. Then we will move on to the physical."

"Oh, now I like that, a physical. Will there be a hot woman doing the _physical_ with me?"

"Beginning test!" shouted the recruiter as he quickly left the room to breath some fresh air and calm his flustered cheeks. _Yeah, that guy is screwed_. Two hours later, the recruiter walked back in to see his predictions come to pass. Cholo leaned against the edge of the table with drool slowly dripping out and his eyes turned ghastly. At best for signs of life, he could only hear some mathematical mumbling. _Were this a cartoon, I would probably see smoke escaping out of his ears and head right about now_, the recruiter pondered with a smirk. "Alright, moving on to the next test, the physical!"

To Cholo however, it was like as soon as he entered, he left feeling like a re-energized man. The recruiter looked at the area in surprise. _That guy has some crazy levels of physique_. The recruiter guided him out to the general area and handed him the consent forms. "Well, based on the results, I can't guarantee anything, but we may have something open for you. Please sign these forms before we proceed."

"As long as it gets me one step closer to them beauties," Cholo replied while lifting his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "You get me, eh brother?"

The recruiter at that point knew exactly what to do with such a character. "So I just remembered, there is an opening for which you can take the training for."

"Really, which one?"

"You will see," the recruiter answered. _Lets see how long you last in with the Simulation troopers_. "Just be here first thing tomorrow to begin your long training."

"Yes, recruitment sir, yes!" Cholo answered immediately shaking hands as if to signify a deal. The recruiter watched him leave and sighed with relief. _I can suddenly feel the smarts returning in this building_. He turned around to walk away and looked at Cholo's background. _A gas owner. Seems like this decision may benefit both the UNSC and the simulation troopers_. So began Cholo's journey as he had wanted, his journey into the folds of the Simulation Troopers.

* * *

**A/N: A longer chapter than the others, but I think I might end up making the other 'enlistment' chapters long as well. It would vary on the character and their circumstances too.**

**What are your thoughts on this chapter?**

**Hope you are enjoying this story so far.**

**Any respectful feedback is appreciated!**

**Thanks for reading this chapter, I appreciate your continued support! :)**

**Till next time!**

**~ Monty**


	7. Enlistment - Johnny

**Chapter 7: Enlistment – Johnny**

The high pitch of the door bell followed by the low pitch rang annoyingly in Johnny's ears. He turned to his left to stare at the entry hallway. He let a long and prolonged sigh escape him at the effort of having to answer. Loud knocks, almost violent, entered the hallway and the sound bounced from wall to wall. Johnny became irritated as he leaned against one wall to balance himself. "I'm coming, cool it!"

He swung open the door to meet a most annoyed gaze of his sister. She shoved the plastic bag against him. He barely prevented it from falling of his chest. He grunted in an effort to straighten out his back and saw her arms crossed with fingers tapping. Johnny stepped to the side to let his sister in, to which she took the offer. He checked the contents of the bag and gently set it to the side. "Thanks for getting this stuff for me."

"You can thank me by going outside," she retorted as she picked up a few articles of his clothing off the floor.

"You are still as much of a slob I remember since our childhood days."

"Yea, so?"

"So," she stepped out from throwing his clothes into the washer. "If you keep this up, you won't be able to find a girlfriend, let alone a wife."

"Don't get on my case about that too," he shook her off and pushed past her to his computer chair. He turned on his machine and patiently waited for the boot up sequence to complete. She handed him a list written on a torn piece of paper. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. "Paper in this day and age, really?"

"It does the job, quit your whining," she shot back at him, leaving him speechless. "I got everything except for the thermal paste that you requested. The shop you told me about for this stuff was out, and I didn't want to go out of my way to find another one in the area. I have to go home now and prepare dinner after all."

"Hey, what do I do about the thermal paste then, contact you later for it?"

The sister sighed heavily in increasing frustration. "Take this as an opportunity to finally step outside. I won't be picking up any thermal paste for you or anything. Go do it yourself."

Johnny watched the front door close with her taking her leave. He looked around at the various spots of the carpet that he could not see once before. It felt refreshing to once again see the floor. Johnny stared back down to the list and scratched the back of his head in deep thought. _This is quite the predicament._ He checked the time and found it to be a rather satisfactory time period of the day to collect the missing part. Johnny quickly went into the washroom to cleanup and dress as fancy as he could. Johnny stopped at his front door to wear his worn out sneakers and did a few stretches of his legs. _Alright, you got this_. He rested his hand on the door handle. _You can go outside and do this_. He began to turn the handle, when suddenly he felt all courage evacuate his body. _Nope, no, I don't got this!_

His whole body froze as if turned into a popsicle by a sudden chill. Like a statue, he stood in one spot, simply staring at the door. His grip however tightened against the door handle. _Oh, quit being such a pussy Johnny and move!_ He finally managed to provoke action, swung the door open and stepped out for the first time in what felt like years. Outside the building, he felt the light gentle gust blow past his face, reminding him of a feeling he had perhaps secretly yearned for.

* * *

The plump man began his walk into the bustling streets. With every step, his heart pounded faster. With every step, he felt the various gazes of those passing by peel a little away at his skin. He felt as if he was being peeled down to his core, peeled until he was left naked and vulnerable. _Is this what being cooped up inside my apartment has done to me all this time?_ He took a sharp turn to his right into a well known shop for its high quality electronic parts.

"Well, this is a surprise," said a voice from behind him as he browsed their wares. Johnny turned around to instantly recognize the employee. An acquaintance with whom he had grown a trusting relationship. The employee looked at the goods Johnny was eyeing previously. "I'm surprised you haven't sent your sister to pick something up for you."

"I did," Johnny answered as he turned his attention back to the thermal pastes from various manufacturers. "But she didn't find the one item that I needed. So I had to go step out today."

"You know, you could have just ordered it online for a pickup."

"Yeah," Johnny replied. "I know, but I guess I was in too much of a hurry."

"You are one of the laziest people I know dude," the employee spoke back with a grin. "So you stepping out in a hurry to get this item is a little hard to believe."

"Well I need this item badly," Johnny picked one of the thermal paste tubes and analyzed its brand name. "My computer has been complaining lately. Probably just needs a thermal paste change."

As the employee saw Johnny place the tube back down, he raised an eyebrow in question. "Is there any particular brand you are looking for?"

"Yeah, this," Johnny handed the employee a piece of paper. The employee hummed in deep thought as if he was recollecting his memories of products for sale. "Sorry man, but we aren't carrying this brand right now. We have tons of other brands though."

"No, this is the only one that I feel comfortable using on my equipment," Johnny gently stored the paper in his pocket. "Any ideas as to who could have it in stock right now?"

"You could try the shop at the end of this street."

"Thanks," Johnny nodded a respectful farewell as he left for his next destination. Johnny checked the time. It was easily past the time for people to have gone home from work. _I must have stepped out during rush hour then. I didn't realize that I spent so much time in there_. He walked down until coming past a small alley opening. It was there he froze at hearing the sound of a feline. He turned to his right to take note of the golden furred cat with black streaks stretching across its back. "This is unusual, this city doesn't see a whole lot of strays. Well, at least I don't...not that I step out much to begin with."

He bent down towards the cat as it purred up against his foot. He gently rested his fingers against the small, yet cuddly head and smothered the top. He gently rubbed his fingers, almost in a soothing sensation. "You hungry by any chance?"

Johnny quickly got up and fetched a small bottle of milk alongside a coffee. He poured some milk in the small cap as a test. The cat drank it heartily. He poured more, but this time in a larger dish he just recently bought for this occasion. He took a sip of his cold coffee. _That hits the spot_. He looked down at the cat and then up at the slightly darkening skies. His mind felt light and free of worries. It was a blissful moment with a blissful creature by his side. _This isn't so bad. In fact, its really nice_.

However, like with all good things, this moment had to come to an end as he dried his coffee bottle of its sustenance. The cat purred with happiness by his side as it gently grazed it's soft fur against his arm. He peeked over towards the bowl, the whole of the milk bottle was gone. "So is your belly full now?"

The cat purred with its eyes closed shut in a playful manner. Johnny could not help but let a little smile escape the corners of his lips. "I guess that's a yes. Well then, I have to go as well Mr. Cat."

* * *

Quickly, he was back out onto the streets, where the crowd was no longer as hectic or busy, and the skies were even darker. Johnny made a fast approach to the shop. He looked at the time, _only ten minutes to get everything I want. Alrigthy, better get at it then_. With a keen eye, he studied the stocked goods and smiled in victory. _Looks like I will find all that I need here_. He went in with a lighter load, but came out with a bag full of goodies. He felt his arms weigh down and the smile of victory quickly turned to a frown of effort. _Feels like my arms will turn to jello any moment now. Man, I'm a lazy potato_. He wandered the quieter and emptier streets as the night began to overcast itself above him. He fast approached the street where his apartment was on. But noticed the spinning glare of red and blue lights. Johnny felt his heart beat faster. It was as if his heart dropped all the morale he had and left him with a growing dread. He rested his back against the wall and peeked from corner of his eye. What he feared came to be. _Shit!_

By the front entrance stood two police cars, with cops patrolling the front entrance without rest. His eyes moved up towards his room and noticed the lights on. _Rookie mistake_, he pondered as he grabbed his phone and with haste he inputted a sequence of keys. _Good luck getting any evidence now_. A few moments later, he noticed the lights turn off and the cops come out with a clearly frustrated grimace. Johnny couldn't help but smile rather bashfully. He moved into his apartment as soon as the coast was clear. The whole area was a mess. _Quite the forceful bunch they were_. He also took note of the computer turned on. But to his relief, they had never made it past the login screen. _Not that it matters now since I have deleted all the files on there. Even with any techs here, they won't be able to get shit_. Johnny though had been in the business of paranoia long enough to know that reality is never as it seems. _They will be back_. He quickly rushed over to his computer casing. Unplugged the power, extracted the hard drive, as well as various other components and drilled a hole in them all. Unsatisfied with the results, he took care of the various components and dumped them down the garbage disposal of the building. _That should keep you guys busy on a wild goose chase for a while. Have fun_. He wasted no time in rushing back towards his bed and looked underneath towards a secret hatch. He gently slid open the the cover and shook his head in disbelief. _Those guys really were rookies_. He took a hold of his bag, one that he always kept prepared if he ever needed to go on the run. Johnny did not take time for granted as he rushed out the door and sent a quick text to his sister, only to receive a call moments later.

"What's this about you leaving Johnny?!"

"Hey," he spoke in an almost out of breath fashion as he rushed down the streets, avoiding as many cameras as possible. "Listen, I can't talk for long. As I said in my text, I'm going on a journey."

"Journey, why now of all times?!"

"Too many questions sis," he shot back. _They are probably tracking this call already by now_. He turned a corner to notice a cop car doing its nightly rounds. He rushed across the crosswalk and hid into a dark back alley. "Look, there are certain circumstances, and so I need to go."

"What's going on Johnny, did you get in trouble?"

"If I tell you, you will become involved," he said with a sharp tone. "It's better if you keep your distance."

"But we are family," she retorted. "No matter what I may say, you are still my brother, what's going on?!"

"Dammit," he hit his back against the wall hard as he slid down towards the ground. "It's the cops, they are after me."

"The what?!"

"This is why I didn't want to tell you."

"But why would they be after you?!" she asked with clear panic growing into her voice. "What happened Johnny, what could have caused this?!"

"I have an idea," he replied as he quickly got up to find a new hiding spot at the notice of a few flashlights entering the alley. In a whisper he continued. "But I can't say here, no matter how much I want to tell you. I'm sorry."

"Then come here, we will sort it out somehow, please."

"No can do sis," he smirked as he then noticed the cops approach even closer. "I need to go, I don't know when or how I will contact you again. Thanks for everything up till now."

"Jo-", he quickly cut the communication short and turned off his device. One of the officers stopped, as did his partner with him. "Control is saying that the suspect turned off his phone, we can't track him."

"Well we should sweep this and the surrounding area to make sure he doesn't get far."

"That's a good idea," the cop answered as he shined the flashlight behind him. "Let's make this fast, I hear that the Ronnie's Diner is having a steak special tonight on their menu. I don't want to miss that."

"Haha, you with your food at this time," the other officer chuckled as he called in for a search team. Johnny took this moment to slip out into a more crowded street filled with the momentum of the night life. A street filled with vibrant neon colours. Women and men, all walking in revealing, ripped clothing with wild hair styles Johnny never understood the appeal of. _Gotta keep it together_, he thought to himself as he continued to walk amongst a large crowd while breaking out in sweats. He kept his hands, which shook with the nervousness at the size of the population, tightly gripping the straps of his bag. He hurried to slip away near the next big intersection and scurried into a back alley. He took out his phone, and destroyed the SIM card. _Good luck tracking me now even with all your fancy gadgets police_. Johnny used its built-in flashlight as a guide through the darkness. He came out the other end with a cautious attitude, and studied his surroundings with no rest. He hurried into yet another alley and rested a moment to catch his clearly exasperated breath. Johnny stood up once more and continued to run. He ran with continued haste as if there was a vengeful spirit chasing him, one that did not listen to reason, but only to the violence.

Johnny managed to reach his destination just in the nick of time. He leaned with a face drenched in sweat up against a ticket counter much to the surprise of the employee. "Are you alright sir?"

"Yeah, just...get me a ticket...to the longest distance bus you got."

"Um, we have several, which one would you like?" asked the employee as he pointed at the schedule above Johnny's head. Johnny's face began to turn blue from the effort and he sighed in annoyance. "Just get me any bro, any of them will do. I'm travelling, I don't care where I go."

"Are you su-"

"Yes, I'm sure," Johnny answered as he felt his face turn bluer. "Please, just make it fast."

"Right, may I just see some ID first?"

"Sure," Johnny reached into his bag and held out a passport. "Will this do?"

"Absolutely," the employee prepared the ticket for him. "So, how are you enjoying your trip so far Max?"

"It's not bad," Johnny replied as he gratefully took back his passport and a ticket upon paying. The employee smiled courteously as he watched Johnny wobble away. "Please be sure to get some rest on the bus."

Johnny threw his bag down onto the seat to his left as he slouched down into the window seat. _Ah, finally some rest_. He kept his head low from the passing traffic, at least until they could be on the move. _That client that once wanted me to plant the malware in police documents, they were probably what got me caught. They snitched probably...unless that document was from the police themselves. Well not that it matters now because I will be outta here soon_. Before he had realized it though, he was already drifting into the arms of his mistress, sleep.

* * *

"Sir...sir!"

Johnny awoke to the sudden jolting sensation. He covered his eyes at the burst of light piercing like sharp spears through the window. He shifted in his seat, slightly disorientated by his strange, yet slightly familiar surroundings. The bus seemed familiar, and yet all else seemed like a mystery. _Where am I?_ The individual, a man, that woke him stood back a few steps as he pointed out to the exit. "We are at our destination."

_A timely response, just on time like a mind reader_, thought the fugitive with a small smirk. "Thanks for waking me up."

"You must have been real tired to have slept all the way to here."

"You could say that," Johnny answered with a sheepish laugh as he gathered his bag and quickly departed to the bustling noises of the bus depot. Around the depot were the cars of a busy city, stopping little and going fast within the limits. Everyone has someplace to be after all. Johnny exited the depot to the various high rise buildings and electric billboards. He studied the bright surroundings with great intrigue as his eyes widened at the architecture of the city. To him it was a mystery, but a marvellous one to try and decode. As he continued his intriguing stroll, he came across a most curious, and perhaps a fateful billboard. He stopped clean in his track and arched his neck up to read the message in it's entirety. "Come, enlist and work for us. You take care of the nations, and the UNSC will take care of you. No matter the background, as long as you pass the basics, you are qualified in our eyes. What are you waiting for? Sign up now at the nearest recruitment center!"

_Way too much text_, thought the ex-hacker as he studied the address written on the bottom right. _It doesn't seem too far if I'm reading the road signs properly here. I should be able to walk there_. He thought as he began the journey. _Perhaps, that billboard was truly a fateful encounter_. He felt a smile creep up on his face, one he did not feel any need to suppress out of embarrassment of any sort, it was one he wanted for the world to know, he was close to victory.

He stopped at a red light to notice the carefree children playing amidst the destruction left behind from the terror war. However, Johnny quickly cracked a smirk when he watched the comical scene of a local enforcement officer chasing the kids off, and the officer himself quickly ran out of breath. _Maybe you shouldn't be hitting those donuts hard_, thought Johnny as he noticed the dome shaped belly, somewhat sagging downwards. He walked past a street vendor much to his surprise as well. _In this day and age, a street vendor?_ He stopped by to see the various food items on menu. On a whim, he felt a sudden craving for lime flavoured shaved ice. As he let a spoonful rest in his mouth, he felt the tingly shivers travel from his mouth to his body. _That's sweet, and sour at the same time_, he pondered with a wide smile. _My city never had any of this, at least I never saw any of this. It's not so bad to experience new things like these once in a while_.

As more shaved ice melted in his mouth, and the cup became lighter, he drew closer to the recruitment center. But before he knew it, he was at the location. He puffed out his chest wide and walked past the sliding doors. He looked at the nearest customer service counter and approached with the utmost confidence. "I would like to sign up for the UNSC, where do I start?"

"I'm happy to hear that you are here with such enthusiasm," answered the attendant behind a thin plastic glass window, rather reluctantly as Johnny took note of them scanning his physique. _Oh just you wait, I will show you all what I can do, never going to need to eat those words up ever!_ He declared, yet quickly regretted doing so. _I'm so going to suck if I actually need to eat those words up_. The attendant worked away on their computer as they brought up a password protected application. Johnny stared blankly at the employee as they inputted their password. "You know, you guys should implement some sort of transition feature in this plastic glass. Have it go dark when you are putting in the password, because I pretty much know what your login information is now."

"That is an apt observation sir," said the attendee as he proceeded to pass the form forward to Johnny. "Please fill out your information and send it back to me."

"Sure," Johnny replied, and he quickly managed to correctly fill out all the fields. He sent the form back, and waited more as he noticed the rhythmic typing of the employee. After a few minutes of waiting, Johnny was quickly beginning to lose his patience as evidenced by his constant tapping. Like a puppy, his ears perked up at hearing the magic words. "Alright, I'm done inputting this information into the database. Can you make it back here tomorrow morning at nine for the basic checkup?"

"You got it," Johnny responded as he exited the building to find refuge for the night. _Hopefully the police drag out the hunt for me some more, and not extend their search warrant to other states_.

* * *

The next hot and sunny day, where Johnny's skin felt like it was gleaming from the sweat, he stood in front of the recruitment center, brimming with excitement. _Even for me, this is rare, looking forward to something_. He thought with a quick follow-up, _then again,_ _I don't have much of a choice as I don't want to live like a hunted man for the rest of my life. If doing this gets me off this planet and far away from the cops, all the better then. Of course, then I can be lazy as I like, hmm...being able to take sweet, sweet day naps while getting paid, that is the dream. I will get to you someday_.

He entered the center to quickly meet the gaze of the familiar attendant. The employee was quick to recognize the plump man, after all, none could ever forget that ball shaped belly so easily. "Thank you for coming on time, please take a seat to the side and one of our testers will be right with you!"

"Thanks!" replied Johnny in a highly energetic voice. _I wonder if that was way too cheery, well it was definitely not me that would say stuff like that. Oh well, I be winging it!_ Just as his thoughts finished, a man of good health approached the ex-hacker. "You must be Johnny, I will be administering your tests today."

"Cool," answered Johnny as he found that the jitters bug had bitten him and that he could now hardly control the shaking in his legs. _Calm down Johnny, you got this. You can take on the police and escape successfully, this should be a piece of cake_. He followed the assessor into a room filled with several desks. "Take a seat anywhere that you like."

As Johnny settled in, the tester stood by the desk and flipped a booklet of questions over, with alongside an answer sheet. "This test is a general educations test, it shouldn't be too hard. You get two hours to complete this. Be sure to read the instructions within the questions booklet carefully and leave only when you are certain of your responses. Good luck."

Ten minutes passed as the administrator waited outside. Much too his surprise though, he saw the door slowly slide open. _Giving up?_ He pondered as he noticed the plump man step outside with a rather confusing expression to make sense of. Johnny briskly approached his test administrator and pointed back into the now empty room with his thumb. "I'm all done."

"Only ten minutes have gone by."

"Yup."

"You mean to tell me that you completed the booklet of three hundred questions in about ten minutes?"

"Yup."

"You do know that some of those questions are the type that most people tend to get stuck on for majority of the testing period. Some of them are meant to be difficult."

"Are they?" Johnny pondered as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, it all seemed pretty easy to me."

The administrator's mouth fell wide open as he walked past the genius. He stepped into the room only to feel the overwhelming feeling of being pushed out by the smarts left behind by Johnny. _No, too strong. Must fight the urge to leave. Too many smarts in here, I'm the instructor and a resident badass. I can't let something like this defeat me!_ The administrator walked straight out with a high head. "Alright, so I gotta say, you definitely have the brains if you walked out that fast all confident like."

Johnny sat about, basking in the wonderful, golden coloured sunlight. An invisible smile crept up on him as he clenched his right hand into a circular fist. _My victory is so close_. The administrator motioned for Johnny to follow into the next area. Having walked at a fast pace, the two entered a huge gym like area filled with an obstacle course. "Okay, part of your second test here is this obstacle course. Complete it as fast as you can. Then we will move on to a physical."

Johnny who was once at a high point immediately felt himself be pulled downwards. His heart nearly dropped, instantly raising all worries in him. _Obstacle course...fuck me!_ He studied his environment with a keen eye for detail, however his attempts were cut short by the administrator. "Don't bother trying to see if there is anything here that can give you an advantage. Just get through the course fair and square."

"That's a tall order sir," Johnny commented as he prepared himself behind a white painted line. He bent down with his hands holding his weight up with all their might. The administrator raised an eyebrow at what he could see to be a glistening off his skin. _Already sweating? The last one didn't even break a sweat while doing this, and he was dumb as bricks to begin with_. The administrator gently placed a whistle in his mouth. With the taste of plastic in his mouth, he quickly blew the whistle and watched the plump candidate take a huge step forward. Johnny's face instantly turned from determination to pain. His eyes squinted with this lips arching upwards with a slight squeal. His face wrinkled with a failed landing as his body slowly fell down and rolled like a giant meatball. The administrator quickly covered his mouth for he could not afford to shame the applicants. _That has to be the worst performance on this obstacle course ever, of all time_.

Somewhere on a tropical beach, where there stood a small motel, a loud sneeze escaped the kitchen. A pale white skinned man, once a freelancer sniffled as a thought crossed his mind. _Is someone taking my catch phrase or something?_

At the testing arena, the administrator walked over to Johnny who lied belly flat with his face planted firmly into the soft mattress. "Are you alright, would you like to try again?"

He heard no response. He leaned in closer, and with a louder voice inquired the same, but once more there was no response. "What's going on with y-"

It was then that he realized the situation. The once pained expression had relaxed, in fact if the administrator had to bet for it, he would venture to guess in regards to whether his consciousness is there right now with him or not. _Really, sleeping at a time like this? I suppose that is one of the curses of having the ability to lead such a carefree life in peace times_. He gently poked Johnny on his back, only for the ex-hacker to quickly realize what he had been doing upon wiping some of his sweat. He quickly stood up, although he just barely did so nearly falling under the weight of his own belly and his knees almost gave out. "How'd I do?"

"Worse than my grandmother," the administrator answered. As if patted on the back, Johnny breathed a sigh of relief. "Good to see I can still maintain the status quo. For a moment there I thought I had actually expended some efforts, whew!"

"You want to be a soldier, but not have to physically work?"

"Yes sir," Johnny answered now with his own blunt honesty. The recruiter looked at him, completely taken back by the words. He rested his chin in his hand and let out a long hum. It was one of deep in thought. "Normally we would just downright reject people with no physical ability. But I think I have a unit that you would fit right in. How about it?"

"Is it a ticket off world?"

"Sure is," the administrator answered as he pointed up towards the stars. "Think of it as a free trip through space when you will be transferred if you choose to accept the offer. So the offer i-"

"Deal!" Johnny took the recruiter's hand in his in a rather violent handshake. The man in his surprise quickly stopped the handshake as he recomposed himself with a deep breath. "I haven't even told you about what the offer is yet."

"I'm all good," Johnny replied with a clearly content smile. "I will handle any strange things coming my way as they come. For now, trust me bro, I'm just happy to get the news that I get to go off world!"

"Why so excited?"

"Oh...it's because its just been a childhood dream of mine," Johnny replied. "You know, going out to space and all. Anyways, hooray for the UNSC!"

_I don't know if I should feel happy that I get to boost my recruitment numbers so easily, or if I should feel sad to be attracting so many weirdos this month_. The recruiter gently nodded his head as he led Johnny back out to the waiting area. He handed him a digital pad to fill out. "This is one of the final few steps in ensuring that we can move forward with your enlistment."

A bright flame sparked in Johnny's eyes and in under a minute, he had already filled the form. "So, when do I begin basic camp?"

"I will send you the details later," he replied while studying the data pad. "The form looks good, see you soon Johnny."

"Thank you sir," Johnny quickly shook his tester's hand into a firm handshake. His once victorious smile turned even brighter like the sun. _My victory is assured now. Good luck catching me when I'm off this world suckers!_

* * *

**A/N: A pretty long chapter, but I hope it was entertaining. What did you think about this chapter?**

**I will admit to anyone that may have felt the pacing potentially suffered, I felt it too when I was editing it. This was written with large breaks in between as life got busy (and still is), so I could not necessarily maintain 100% continuity with pacing. I hope it doesn't detract too much from the reading experience though.**

**The schedule has been really shaken up for this story as I don't get much time to be writing right now. So I don't know when the next chapter will be. Sorry, but that's just the nature of things right now.**

**Hopefully you have enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one!**

**Thank you for your continued readership!**

**~ Monty**


	8. Enlistment - Bonnie

**Chapter 8: Enlistment – Bonnie**

Amidst the steam of her recent shower, that coated the surfaces of the bathroom. She gently wiped some clean at face height on the mirror and found herself giving a scowl. _I shouldn't be giving such expressions, otherwise they will become permanent_. She pondered with a slightly entertained smirk. She took one side of her head and began to brush it with the firm bristles. At the sound of her messaging system, her ears became alert like that of a dog's, standing up at the first sign of the noise. She rushed out with nothing but a towel on, feeling the cool breeze of the air comb past her wet skin. With little thought for her health at the moment, she pushed the play button. However, the once hopeful gleam from the eyes left her and returned her to her miserable reality. _Another rejection_. She shut the machine off, almost angrily so. Back in the washroom, she prepared herself for the rest of the day and put on her sandals. _I wonder if I should just look into switching careers like I had been thinking, or find some way to settle down in a marriage or something. Heh, even for me thinking about marriage like this is pretty crazy, I guess mom is getting to me_. Bonnie put on her sneakers and exited her building. The intense heat that blanketed the city today was a most undesirable trait of the summer months.

She quickly made her way to the nearby convenience store and as the doors slid open to welcome her inside, a soothing coolness surrounded her body. _Nothing can beat an air conditioner on these days, no matter how bad they maybe for the environment. Work your magic some more on me_. She thought, just lost in thought at the entrance. Only when she noticed the questioning, but somewhat amused stare of the store employee, she hurried inside with an embarrassed blush covering her entire face as it reddened into various shades within a span of a few minutes. She quickly grabbed the items on her list and exited to the once again, dreadful heat. However, keeping in line with her tradition, she stopped by the destroyed building of her past workplace. _If only you weren't hit. If only things didn't have to change like this. If only I was still working here_. She quickly turned to return home, but before she could take a step forward, a flyer came hitting her hard in the face. _Well, this is new. It's not everyday that you see someone get hit in the face by a flyer with a mind of it's own_. She took it off her face as a wind gently blew it violently into all directions. Her eyes scanned the images and text with growing curiosity. _It's for the military_, she thought while straightening out the piece of paper. "Come enlist today. We will take care of you as long as you take care of the nations. Join to make a difference, and be proud of it. Join the UNSC today!"

_Hmm, I wonder if this is what my mother calls fate_, she pondered and gently stuffed the flyer into her pocket. As the day turned to dusk, and the clear skies became a hue of orange, Bonnie sat in her balcony staring outside. She gently rested the phone with a long sigh at another rejection. Much to her dismay, it was a feeling she found herself becoming accustomed to lately. She reached to her left for a six-pack she bought earlier and cracked open the can. With a small sip, she felt the bitter yet ever so familiarly soothing taste. The flyer that danced earlier into her face lied to her right. She eyed it from the corner of her eyes and let out another sigh, this time though, a long and a tired one. _My options are pretty much nil now_. She gently lifted up the piece of paper and studied the address. _I don't know what I should really do. Maybe I should talk about it with someone...mom_. Driven by the impulse, she lifted her phone and quickly dialed the number. At the answer of the tone, she felt relieved to hear the familiar voice. "Hello?"

"Hi, mom."

"Bonnie," replied her mother in a rather surprised, yet cheerful voice. Bonnie could not help but feel a smile come on her face. Her mother continued as she cleared her voice. "How have you been dear?"

"Doing as well as I could be in this little depression called 'job hunting', I guess."

"I know it's tough dear," her mother answered with an almost far off tone. "I still remember the tough time I had finding another job after leaving mine."

"Except, I didn't leave mine, the job decided to leave me."

"I know," her mother quickly answered. "The circumstances are different, but the meaning behind the story is not. You just have to keep on searching, eventually someone will give you a chance hon. You have so many good points, and are very good at what you do. There will be someone who will give you a chance."

"I have been at it for a while mom," Bonnie relented with her voice slowly beginning to crack. "Hi, listen, I have been thinking about an opportunity lately."

"A job opportunity?"

"I guess it is one," Bonnie replied with an impatient voice, itching to finish what she wanted to say. "It's for the UNSC military."

Bonnie looked at the phone screen in concern when she heard the loud, ear drum breaking, coughs. "Are you okay mom?"

"For a minute there I thought I heard you say that you are going to join the military," her mom mused with a small laughter. "Oh, the things I can sometimes hear in my age nowadays."

"I did say that," Bonnie answered in a quieter voice, almost as if she felt ashamed for even considering the UNSC as an option, based on her mother's response. Her mother let out yet another cough, this time more violent. But Bonnie could quickly tell that she had her hands full with drinking tea judging by the familiar clanging of the tea cups.

"What brought on this sudden desire to change careers?"

"Just the fact that the market doesn't seem like it will improve any time soon. Plus, there is a lot of debris that needs to be cleaned up around the city as well from the fight here before. The economy is the main thing, for the most part we do well, except for my department."

"I'm sure things will get better."

"But how long will that take mom?" Bonnie argued with a growing sense of urgency in her voice. "At least even if it will be tough within the UNSC, I might have some hope of still practicing psychology."

"And what if you are put on the front lines?" her mother retorted with an even stronger voice now. "Did you not see the news on the latest developments in the war against the extremist Sangheillis? That's no laughing matter Bonnie, you could be put out there, I won't lose my daughter over this!"

"Mom, please," Bonnie breathed out a deep sigh, too frightened to even think of the possibility. "Even if I may work for them, that doesn't mean that I won't have my rights anymore as a person. I won't do anything stupid. I promise."

"Is there really no other career you can switch to?"

The silence that followed the question however was enough for Bonnie's mother to know of the determination her daughter held. Bonnie gently took another sip of the bitter drink. "I want to work mom, I want to be doing something rather than just being stuck in this grind of job hunting. I promise to be careful, I promise to never do anything I don't feel comfortable with. So let's not argue this anymore. I want to do this."

"Alright," her mother finally caved under her daughter's words. "But swear to me that you will stay in contact periodically with your father and I, and that you will come back from time to time to us. I won't give up my daughter to the military for good you know."

"Deal," Bonnie replied with a small smirk. "Thanks mom, I think this talk also gave me the clarity I needed to now take action. Tomorrow, I will go sign up."

* * *

The next day, Bonnie woke up bright and early as the vermilion shade of the light rays broke through the clouds. She let out a loud yawn at having just finished her morning routine and breakfast and wore her best casual clothes. _Alright Bonnie, time to go do this_. She stepped outside of her apartment building to breath in the morning chill. Her eyes scanned the flyer to the address of the recruitment center. _It shouldn't be too bad of a walk_. And so, she began her morning journey.

One block down, she saw the morning bustle of the kids, rushing to catch the school bus. Three blocks down, she saw the men and women leaving for another day of work no doubt. _That used to be me, but I'll probably be a different person __soon__ if I'm not already one_. She looked at the cars bustling out and about from the driveways. _Then again, as humans we are always changing. Our experiences help define such a change after all_. A few more blocks down, she stood in front of a large, towering recruitment center. Her eyes trailed upwards at the size of the building and felt a sense of encroachment into her mind, as it overpowered her with its mere presence. Decorated in the UNSC flag, as well as the flags of many countries left her speechless. She was really going to do this. She stood before the automatic doors, the sensor light blinked once to acknowledge her existence and the doors slid open. She walked inside to instantly gather the gazes of all those nearby. As strange as the sensation was to her after so long, she felt anxious, as if she was walking in to give an exam just like she did back in university. With a quick study of the area, she walked to the customer service area. As the employee greeted her with the proper customaries as one would expect, she hoped to quickly move past these annoyances for her mind was on a single track right now. "I'm here to apply, where do I start?"

As with any other candidate, she filled out her forms and was told to return the next day. At home, she felt her anxiety levels rise at the mere thought of the assessment. _Calm down Bonnie, just gotta go review your basics of math, and high school level stuff. Do a few push-ups, yeah, you got this in the bag_. She quickly reached for her notebook of notes that dated back to junior high. In one hand, were her notes, while the other reached for a beer can and cracked it open for that satisfying noise to her ears. _I do love to hear a good crack of the beer can_. She herself knew it was going to be a long night, and the next morning she could confirm that it indeed was one. She still felt the fatigue of the night before from her cramming activities. With a quick shower and breakfast, she was back at the recruitment center and met her test administrator. A man dressed in a typical recruiter UNSC uniform, but his buttons were done up rather sloppily, his hair was unkempt, and his eyes emoted the desire for sleep, and then even more sleep after that. "Hello Bonnie, you must be here for the test. I will be administrating it today for you."

"Yes I'm, nice to meet you," she offered a hand as she saw him yawning. Her eyebrow instinctively rose in annoyance, however she quickly controlled that slight outburst of expression. _You are quite the piece of work test administrator_. She followed him into the first test. When she entered, she shook in her boots, and took all of the time given to her. When she left, she left feeling quite silly. _Damn, I spent so much time worrying about this test. It was nowhere near as difficult as I thought it would be. In fact, it barely covered anything from my notes, at most only eight percent was covered from them_.

The tester walked into the room and gathered up the booklet, he however froze with a raised thick eyebrow. He flipped through every subsequent page upon noticing something strange on the first of the exam booklet. _She wrote on every page_, he thought while doing his best to control his irritation. _I told her not to_. He then took a closer look at some of her writing, or at least whatever he could decipher based on her chicken scratch. _Is this for real?_ He wondered as he held up the booklet higher. _No, I'm reading this right_. He stood in silence at the contents as the irritation seemingly subsided, and a small smile grew on his face. _Looks like she is a weird one in her own right. I can't believe that someone took so much time to write all this just to criticize the questions for their validity_. He flipped through the rest of the pages and took note of the detailed explanations she provided to support her position. He then also noticed her suggestions for improvements. _If anything, this maybe able to do some good. Let's see how you fair in the physical challenge Bonnie_.

Thirty minutes later, as sweat trailed down her once clear skin, she breathed in heavy breaths. Bonnie wiped her face clean with a nearby unused towel. The tester looked at her performance footage and determined it to be an average performance. _Well, just as I expected to begin with_. He made the necessary notes and led her to her physical. As he handed her a gown for her to change into, she looked around at the clean area, and a small changing room to the corner. The tester pointed towards the clock. "Be ready in five minutes, that's when the doctor will come to do your physical. Just be honest and open about your health. It will help both of us."

"I'm healthy if that's what you mean to say," Bonnie answered with a suspiciously raised eyebrow. The tester held up the results to her obstacle course performance as if he begged to differ. She relented on her previous words, but still maintained confidence. "Well, I'm healthy as an average adult of my age should be."

The tester nearly let a smirk slip by as he stood in the door frame. "Just be ready for the physical. I will be waiting outside. We will proceed with the next steps once you have come outside."

* * *

She watched him yawn yet again. For some reason, it served to irritate her mind. But she knew better than to let the negativity engulf her. _Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts_. Bonnie quickly undid her clothes as well as her underwear. As her pantie slipped down to her feet, she kicked it to the side with one foot and put on the smooth silky gown. However, it was not long before she noticed the slight belly fat with the squeeze of her fingers. _Maybe I should stop drinking so much beer. I need to lay off it for a while_. She walked outside to the empty room. With every step she felt the cool chill of the tiled floor as if it were her first time feeling it.

As she exerted some minor force, she plopped herself up onto one of the beds. A few minutes of her simply staring at the various artwork and objects in the room passed. But she quickly heard a knock on the door which instantly caused her back to straighten and become completely alert. A woman in a long white coat entered with a smile beamed towards Bonnie. "Hi Bonnie, how are you?"

Bonnie noticed a chart on the tablet held by the good doctor. _So she knows some information about me already_. She in response smiled. "I'm doing fine, a little tired but fine."

"Good, that's good to hear," the doctor replied as she began to prepare her recently cleaned equipment. "So I imagine that you have been told what this will entail. I just need to do a basic physical checkup, as well as take a blood sample."

The doctor came around the front of Bonnie and gently lied her down. "Let's take the blood sample now."

As if to have seen some worry in Bonnie's eyes, she gently smiled with a warmth that Bonnie could only remember from when she was young, gazing up at her mother. "Don't worry, I will make this as painless as I can. You will only feel a little prick. Just think about what makes you happy."

Much to Bonnie's surprise, the doctor was right. The prick of the needle felt only like a smooth rock pressuring up against her skin. She looked at the collected blood and breathed a temporary sigh of relief at an event passed, but her heart quickly spiked as she felt a cold latex touch of the doctor's hands. Bonnie looked down towards her spreading legs with a raised eyebrow and felt the doctor's fingers trail about on her crotch. "You haven't experienced any urinary difficulties as of late have you?"

"No," Bonnie responded with a slight blush. The doctor retreated back, allowing Bonnie to quickly cover the private view. She slid her legs back down onto the bed as the doctor changed her gloves and moved to measure the patient's heartbeats. Bonnie took a deep breath at the cold contact of the stethoscope. She noticed the doctor's reaction, an expression that seemed rather confused. "Your heart is beating a little too fast. Did you do the obstacle course before coming here?"

"Yes I did, what's the issue exactly?"

"How active are you?"

"Right now," Bonnie pondered a moment with her head tilting downward into deep thought. "Not very."

"That would explain it," the doctor replied with a reassuring smile. "I just wanted to confirm why your heart is beating so fast. But if you do get in, I'm sure the UNSC will whip you back into shape."

The doctor checked Bonnie's eyes, ears and the other routine components of the check-up. She undid her latex gloves and threw them in the nearby bin. "Well, for someone your age, I would say you are in acceptable health."

Bonnie looked wide eyed as she breathed a sigh of relief. _That's another obstacle out of the way now_. She watched the doctor head for the door. "Please change as soon as you can, once you are done, meet your test administrator outside. Have a good day Bonnie."

"Um, thanks, you too," Bonnie replied quickly standing up. As her feet slapped up against the floor, her legs shook in surprise from the cold. She quickly tip toed her way into the changing area and readied herself. The tester outside sat with his arms crossed, and with one hand he played with his hair. The door slowly opened and she took notice of the disorganized man. _He is playing with his already messy hair and making more of a mess_. She thought in slight irritation. However, she quickly mentally slapped herself out of the thoughts. _Think positive, I'm sure there is some sort of bright side to this. I can't afford to insult him_. The tester walked forward and guided her back to the waiting area they met in. He asked for her to take a seat as he went about his business to gather the results. She noticed his courteous smile, and ongoing small talk. _I didn't think he was capable of such small talk_. Bonnie looked at the data pad in his hands and straightened out her back to hear the news.

A most serious look on the test administrator's face sent worries into her mind. He hummed to himself as if to keep not only him, but Bonnie calm and clear headed as well. His serious expression however lifted with his eyebrows releasing from such a tight lock. He looked at her with a relaxed face much to her relief. "Congrats Bonnie, these results are passable."

He looked back down at the military division and thought with a smirk, _at least for the sim troopers that is. If it weren't for your testy attitude sometimes based on your comments and actions during the written test, you probably would have fit well into the main military. As it stands though, the C.O.s will probably get tired of you real quick_. He handed her a form and went on to explain the offer. Bonnie was no fool as her once calm expression quickly turned to disappointment which to her own surprise, she managed to hide quite well. "Is this the only division open to me?"

"At this time, yes, it is."

With a heavy sigh, Bonnie took the pen and digitally provided a signature on the agreement. The tester offered a warm smile, yet to her eyes, she felt it was slightly piteous as well. "Alright then, as part of the Sim troopers program, you will be offered all the benefits the normal troops get, but less pay in certain areas. As for training, you will go through a different regime, I hope you understand that. It will still train you up to be a soldier, just not as strict."

Bonnie felt the words soak in as the tester held out a business card for her. "That's to reach me if you have any questions regarding your offer, the UNSC or anything else really. I will do my best to answer."

"Okay," her response came in a rather neutral voice. No matter how hard she tried and believed she succeeded, it was painfully evident to the test administrator that there was disappointment in her voice. "Well then Bonnie, if that's all good, we will see you here tomorrow to be shipped off with our new batch."

"Yeah, thanks for everything," she answered as she slowly left the building. _Well, I managed to keep my judgemental mouth shut for that duration. I just hope that this leads to some type of career. I also hope that it will be good experience. Only time will tell I suppose_.

* * *

**A/N: Another one down. We are getting close to where they will all be in. I hope you are enjoying this so far. What did you think about the chapter?**

**Thanks for reading and catch you next time!**

**~ Monty**


	9. Enlistment - Marcus and Daisy

**Chapter 9: Enlistment – Marcus and Daisy**

The long stretched road gave him a path. The barren surroundings left much to be desired to satiate his boredom. As his one hand gripped the steering wheel at the twelve o' clock position, his other arm rested against the door, with his cheek dug into his knuckle. Marcus looked into the rear view mirror as the body slightly stirred, but was no cause for concern. _Worse comes to worse, I will just neutralize you again. You are quite the fire monkey though_. He felt a thrill overcome his sense suddenly as he moved into the oncoming lane to overtake a car. The oncoming traffic echoed loudly, and a smile stretched from one cheek to the other. His eyes popped wide open, and in the twenty seconds of the rush coursing through his veins, he did not blink even once. He looked back at the tantrum tantrum driver with a head shake. _Pussy_.

He looked back into the rear view mirror once more, however this time his eyes trailed all over her body. _You are attractive, perhaps too attractive. It should be a crime to be this hot. If you would have just listened quietly, and taken my offer, things would be merry and both of us would have felt better right now_. He overtook yet another driver and another after that. Marcus took a sharp right towards the nearest city that was still a great many miles out. His eyes noticed the flash of red that alerted his senses. His mind was pushed back from the land of boredom to active thought. _Low on gas?_ He pondered as he noticed a gas station nearing to his right. _Speak of the devil_.

* * *

He noticed a long haired Mexican woman inside, who rushed out at the sound of the stopping car. Business was here, and her attitude perked. She moved about with hip shaking from one side to another. An eyebrow raised on Marcus' face as he scrolled down at her exposed legs. _Sexy_. He noticed the thickness, and the godly shape that left the blood to rush down South. The woman, a new business owner of her family business, Claudia shot a smirk at him. "Where are you headed, on a vacation?"

"Maybe," Marcus answered with a wide grin. He studied her back as she walked by and felt his heart beat faster. Claudia was not one to miss the details however, she took note of the body in the backseat. "Is she alright?"

Marcus looked at his victim's face, still left untouched and gently gave a nod. "She just had a bit too much fun with the bottle. I'm driving until she sleeps it off."

"I see," Claudia retreated the nozzle and put it back into its position. "I will bring the payment machine out to save you the walk."

"Thanks," Marcus smiled her way as she turned around towards the location of the money maker. He watched his victim stir in the backseat once more. He quietly opened the backseat and gently brushed her hair out of her nose. _It would be nice if you can stay quiet for a little while longer_. He heard a small bell go off in his pocket. The vibration sent waves into his legs as his muscles moved with the shaking. He quickly moved to shut the annoyance off and reached into his other pocket in which rested a bottle of pills. As his hands hurried to open the bottle, he could feel the beginnings of raging fumes within him. His uncontrollable insanity was beginning to stir. He shoved one pill in his mouth, and drank it down with a nearly empty water bottle. As the battle now began with the rage, the pill acted to fortify his defenses.

Claudia walked back out with the machine in one hand. She offered it out to him and shot a yet another questionable stare. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, quickly completing the transaction. "Say, would you happen to know where the nearest recruiting center is for the UNSC?"

"Well that would be in the city fifty miles out of here in that direction," Claudia pointed down in the direction Marcus was originally headed. Now calmed, he thanked her for her assistance. Claudia looked at the transaction message as she continued. "You know, my cousin decided to go and join them to recently. That was on a whim according to him, the jerk. But I got to take over the station because of that, heh, heh."

"Did he now?" Marcus pondered out loud, enjoying her smile. "Maybe I will get to see him some day."

"If you are determined to enroll," she leaned in closer. "Just be sure to avoid the front lines,"

"Being out there wouldn't bother me," he answered as he took a small step back until his back hit the side of the car. "I can handle myself in crazy situations."

"With the way you carry yourself," she tilted her head to observe him further. She took note of his defensive stance, in fact he had never let his guard down. "I'm sure you can."

She watched him enter his car once more as she waved his way. "Well I warned you. But feel free to do what you gotta do. It's all we can do anyways, right?"

"Yes, that we can agree on," Marcus smirked with a wink as he drove away. Claudia looked at the car slowly disappearing into the distance with a singular thought. _He was hot. I should have gotten his number_. Marcus drove further, and further towards his destination. He increased the speed and felt the blood rush to his head in a spike of adrenaline. He heard moans escape from his backseat passenger as she finally stirred awake. He looked into the rear-view mirror to notice her horrified gaze at the driver's seat. "How was the nap?"

"You!" she screamed, nearly hitting her head against the roof in her panic. Marcus gave what he could consider a genuine smile. "Yup, me. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, well that is as long as you obey and not cause any trouble for me."

"What do you want?!"

"I just want to borrow your car," he replied. She then shook her head as she checked down below. Marcus quietly laughed as she checked every inch of herself. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you. Just because I made the offer doesn't mean I will force someone to do it with me. I don't like explaining those actions to the law."

"But you like explaining kidnapping and car theft?"

"Are you saying that you will rat me out?"

"What if I'm?"

Marcus was quick to pull out a knife, that instantly shut her mouth. "That's more like it, keep this up and you may yet correct your tone."

He saw the outline of what he could make out to be a city in the distance. "Once we are at the edge of the city, I will leave. You can get outta here then."

"You are insane," she let the words flow into a whisper which caught the attention of Marcus' ears. He waved the knife around rather subtly with such disappointment. "And here I thought that we were beginning to make progress on your attitude. Such a shame."

* * *

The city drew closer, yet the whole rest of the ride he had to bear with her un-welcomed comments. He slammed the brakes and watched her body fling from front to back. They were at the edge of the city. She sat up with an infuriated glare. He slowly got out with his bags and shook his head in disapproval at her. "You shouldn't show such emotions, you will ruin your pretty face."

He looked towards the oncoming traffic, entering the city and nodded his head. "Looks like this is where we part ways."

She quickly jumped into the driver's seat and locked the doors. "I'm calling the cops on you, you fucking maniac."

"Go right ahead," he mused. "But know that I will find you. I know where you live."

"How?" she asked only to notice her handbag, slightly handled by the front seat. "Never come near me again!"

Without a second thought for anyone's safety, she slammed her foot on the gas pedal and drove away. _Well you were a pleasure to miss_, thought Marcus as he entered the city with bags in both his hands. As he neared an intersection, he pulled out a flyer for the UNSC and began walking in the direction of the address. _This should be interesting_. His thoughts were blank for the most part as he neared the address step by step.

* * *

Earlier in the day, morning time, Daisy awoke to the ringing noise within her ears that echoed of a loud, continuous, and unrelenting beep. She raised her weighed down hand with a grunt, as if felt as though a bucket hanged off of it. She finally reached her alarm and with a gentle slam, the discomfort to her ears slowly subsided. She lifted her weight up to feel her hair dance in all directions downwards. She let out a gentle wind to blow the hair from her vision. She sat by her bedside and slowly got up with the stretch of her back. Daisy looked at the exact time and mumbled in annoyance. _I should have gone to sleep earlier last night_. As if switching gears, she went into an instant mode of productivity.

She rushed down the stairs to meet the glare of her mother. Without a word exchanged, she brushed past her, with no wish to argue first thing in the morning and face the wraith of her mother's crankiness. A drive down a few miles landed her in front of her work. She walked in with a morning smile and greeted every co-worker along the way, as they did the same. Everyone's face instantly lit up as they greeted her upon noticing her bright smile. The manager too felt happy to see her there, on time for her shift, and no doubt ready to bring her strong work ethic as usual. As the day went on however, cracks formed in her demeanor, something was off.

Daisy stood in front of a dissatisfied customer, who seemed to grow angrier by the second. It was only when his tone changed from that of dissatisfaction to aggression, that she quickly took a step back in shock. Her mind fell into a disarray of thoughts. The man's voice turned to high pitch, became crankier. His short brown hair grew out that was tied into a bun, and turned gray. The middle aged skin turned to form more wrinkles, and the features that soon formed caused her mouth to drop open. For this was not at his words, but the one speaking them. Daisy could only see her mother, the conflict, her family's great war amongst themselves, and the cowardice took over. She quickly excused herself from the now shouting customer. The manager however was quick to follow and aim to calm the man. The other employees could not help but give a look of concern. One even went as far as to whisper their surprise. "Isn't Daisy normally the one to calm angry customers down, what's with her today? She seems...off."

Daisy sat in the break room, her head buried in her hands. She stared at the clear glass of water that sat motionless, as if staring back at her mockingly through her reflection. Several minutes later, the manager stood in the door frame. "What's going on Daisy? You don't seem like your usual self today."

"Huh?", she looked up in surprise at the sudden question. "I'm fine...I- I'm just like my usual self."

"That's not what I'm hearing right now."

"But I just said that I'm fine," Daisy argued leaning back into her chair, as the manager sat opposite to her. He finally, having been fed up with this back and forth confessed. "I along with many others have seen that you are not fine. Daisy, if something is going on, and you need time off to handle it, then let me know and I can accommodate that. But if you keep quiet about it and keep on working as if everything is fine, but your performance is impacted, it affects the business. That in turn affects everyone else."

She quickly went quiet at the words of her much wiser manager, her head slowly fell down to stare at her interlocked hands resting atop her thighs. "I guess I really was that obvious huh?"

"Completely obvious," the manager replied with a smirk. He leaned forward and once more asked. "What's going on with you today?"

"Just some stuff with family matters," her eyes trailed from him to all over the room, and periodically back to him in a fit of nervousness. "It's something I guess I don't know how to deal with emotionally, not right now anyways. So it's been really stressful."

"I can give you some time off," the manager offered, however stopped himself short when he saw her shaking her head. She looked up with a thankful nod. "I don't think that will help, it will probably make me more stressed out. Work is almost like a place to get away from the family troubles."

He stood up with slight nods. "If you have made up your mind, I won't say anything. Plus, I don't have the right to change your mind. Just know that I'm sure others here will listen to you as well. The offer will remain open for taking days off. I will even make it paid days off as long as you return with your batteries recharged."

"Thanks," she cracked a small, an almost forced smile as he left. The smile however quickly disappeared to that of worry. _I ran away from a customer, dammit_. She quickly dug her face into her palms. _I screwed up real bad today_. She took a quick sip of the water before straightening her hair. _Why did I see mom when he started shouting all of a sudden? I didn't think I was that screwed up. Or was it that I saw her because I just wanted to instinctively run away from that situation?_

* * *

Her heart began to hit harder against her chest. She stood up at the notice of a mirror, reflecting what she saw of herself to be right now. Slowly, step by step she moved forward and saw the tear marks trailing down her cheeks. _I can't face everyone out there like this_, her mind pondered with the quick cleaning motion with her apron. Her hair was a mess from her earlier panic. She ran her fingers, as her nails dug into her head in a nearly another bout of frustration. _Dammit_, she let her fingers trail downward and let gravity pull her hands down by her side. With each stroke, she felt her hair strands take their normal place as she has always deemed it to be so for her workplace. _I'm a complete mess right now_, she thought while straightening out her dress. _And not just physically,_ she admitted to her own self.

From the side of her gaze though, what seemed to be the impossible seemed possible in that moment. A blurry figure stood, hunchbacked and the ever so noticeable gray hair. _You shouldn't be here_. Daisy's view of her quickly cleared upon focusing on the figure. _No, my one only heaven, why are you trying to invade it?!_

The older woman took a step forward. "You selfish, foolish girl. I never raised you to be like this. But you disappoint me no matter the situation. Every time you have shown your weakness and never done anything to make me proud!"

"Stop it...," Daisy quickly closed shut her ears with the slap of her hands. "You don't know anything about me."

"I don't know anything about you?" her mother inquired. "You are my daughter, I know all that is to know about you, and all that the world needs to know about you. You are weak!"

Daisy quickly retreated from the encroaching figure and found herself backed into a corner. The woman, with the aid of her staff slowly approached Daisy. "So now you run. Fine, why not just run away from me, from your house, from the one place that allowed you to grow with a roof on your head?! Were it not for me, you would be out in the streets, probably died off a long time ago under the cold weather."

"Be quiet," Daisy retorted as she walked right through the figure, without even having realized it and exited the break room. She found herself just one step away from the public area. With a deep breath in, her once stressed face calmed into a more professional one. _Time to put on my public face_. She walked forward and greeted a few clients with a smile. As the day trailed on, she watched many different people come and leave. People from all walks of life, those with years of experience and those just starting out. She saw young and old couples, all who behaved differently. She saw both the kindness and cruelty of humans against their own kids in disciplining them. Daisy watched the sun settle down behind the horizon over the course of a few hours. A few more hours later, the time to close came. Only she and the manager now remained in the building as the other employees had already left one by one. In a brightly lit back office, she sat with a pile of cash accrued during the business of the day. Her fingers flipped through every note. Although, ever since the twenty-first century, the use of cash had been decreasing, it never ceased to surprise her that there still was a preference for such a paper alternative to this day.

"You miscounted one," she heard from behind her. The manager stood with what she could tell was a sympathetic smile. He gently shifted his fingers onto the desk and pushed one noted into the stack she had just finished. Daisy wide eyed looked up having clearly acknowledged her mistake. He looked at the remaining pile with a smile. "You always have been one of my fastest employees. But sometimes its better to take things at a slower pace too Daisy. Especially if you may not be completely here right now."

"What do you mean?"

His smile grew wider as he gently leaned himself against the table. "You are normally more attentive than this. Something is still bothering you. Is it something related to what we chatted about this morning?"

Daisy slowly turned her head away with her eyes quickly trailing down to her thighs. _Am I __really __that much of an open book?_ She pondered as she gently retreated her hands onto her legs. As the manager realized her uncomfortable gestures, he quickly stood straight with his arms raised. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be this direct about it. If I made you feel uncomfortable in any way, I'm really sorry."

"No," she slowly looked up, although unable to maintain direct eye contact. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I have been causing nothing but trouble since morning it seems. I'm lucky that you have been giving me all these chances today."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," he retorted as he helped her collect the cash revenue. He gently piled it up and reached over for a plastic bag. Daisy helped him slowly lay down the cash inside as he took out a label to mark for deposit. The manager lifted the bag over his shoulder and began to make his way to the on-premises safe. "Every one makes mistakes. If we all began to be so hard on ourselves, nothing good would ever come out of it. We would only be stuck in a loop, always looking to try harder but it never being good enough."

Daisy watched him fiddle about with the safe combination. Her hands united, she asked of herself if she truly was being hard on herself, or if it was a bout of insanity taking over some times. "You mentioned some time ago that your brother was in the military, right?"

"Yeah," the manager finally opened the safe. He looked in her general direction with a nod as he dumped the money inside. "Crazy fool got himself killed on his first time on the battle field."

"I take it that you don't exactly have that good of an outlook on the UNSC?"

"I don't have a problem with them," the manager quickly clarified. "It's that I have a problem with people itching to go out on the battle field with a brash attitude, such a waste of life."

"What's their pay like, did your brother ever tell you?"

"Quite good from what I hear," he answered. "Although even better if you are with the simulation troopers. You pretty much get paid to stand around and talk all day long. No risk, pretty good perks, not a bad package. Although more and more have been getting drafted to fight the extremists now days. But I'm not one for the army life, I like my feet planted firmly right here in this restaurant."

Daisy, much to the pleasant sight for the manager, smiled and nodded her head in understanding as she got a deeper look into the manager's psychology. She quickly took her leave for the night as the two bid farewell.

* * *

Outside a medical examination room, an examiner sat with cold sweats. He looked at his shaking hands with deep breaths. _Gotta calm down_. He pondered as his eyes trailed towards the fitness test results. _His fitness results were above average, and I guess I will know the mental test results soon. But his constitution is concerning_. The tester looked at the doctor as he approached the room. With one look, the doctor quickly felt the concern exude from the examiner's face. He quickly stood up and walked over to the doctor with a gentle wave. "Hi Doc, just thought to let you know, be careful with this one."

"The special type?"

"Special in a way I guess," the examiner noted as he rubbed his hands together. "Just probably not in the way you are talking about."

"I will keep that in mind," spoke the doctor as he gave a slow turn towards the medical room. Marcus gazed up to the opening door, his eyes perked with interest, however at the sight of the man entering, his attention quickly wavered. The doctor walked inside as he studied the charts based on Marcus' medical history. "I have to say, you are in tip top condition, more so than what I normally see here."

"Thanks," Marcus answered a little wary of the presence. The doctor quickly put down the pad however as he extended a firm handshake with a large smile. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I will be the one doing some basic examination on you today."

"A pleasure," Marcus replied with a firm handshake of his own. The doctor casually lifted himself up onto the bed opposite to Marcus and with the cross of his legs, he lifted the pad once more. "So I think physically you are in great condition. But I thought to focus on the mental part of the examination."

"Why, is there something concerning?"

"You could say that," the doctor replied as he did his best to maintain his smile. There was something about Marcus' voice which created a sense of unease in the doctor's mind. He felt his chest tighten with a warning to tread carefully. Marcus held the edge of the bed with a strong grip as the sheets creased. He leaned forward instantly as his eyes opened wide. "What would that concern happen to be?"

The doctor raised his hands in defense as his smile began to fade. "Well the concern is just similar to what you are doing right now."

Marcus quickly looked around with a surprised expression as his eyebrows lifted in question. His mouth fell open as he sat backwards. "Sorry Doc, it's something I can't control on my own."

Marcus reached to his side by the bed, where a lamp desk resided. He held up a bottle of pills as every pill echoed with the noise of something hitting against the plastic. "These help me control what I guess you can call a maniac's behavior."

The doctor looked at the bottle from afar, daring not to take it from Marcus' hands. "Have you ever...had an incident of any sort?"

"Couldn't say with certainty as I don't know what you mean by incident."

"Have you ever killed someone?"

"Nope," Marcus immediately replied, his tone however was a little disgusted at the question which seemed more like an accusation to his ears. "I have always managed to control my urges to do anything horrible with these pills by taking them in a timely manner."

"I see."

"By the way Doc," Marcus leaned in closer once more. "Would you like to hear a crazy story?"

* * *

Daisy stared at her own complexion within the mirror in the second floor washroom of her home. She stared intently at her eyes as if a ghost stared back at her as her mothers' cries wailed from down below, demanding her presence. A cloud of fog that hanged over her head since last night began to dissipate with a weight lifting off of her. She looked out the door frame as her mother's cries continued, but now she felt the escalation and terror slowly freeze the very blood in her body with fear. As her eyes squeezed shut, she felt the hair on her body rise. _I won't be provoked into running, I won't!_ She thought all the while wiping the water from her face.

"Where are you, you ungrateful child?! Get down here when I call you, you should have been here the moment I first called you. I never trained you to be this tardy!"

As if her heart skipped a beat, her breath deepened and she gripped the edges of the bathroom sink. She slowly took steps outside, her pace quickened upon yet another slur from her mother. Daisy quickly ran into her room and closed shut both her ears and eyes. _Dammit, I said I wouldn't run, I said I wouldn't!_ She pondered with a silent curse at her own cowardice. With a quick open of her eyes, she stared at her baggage and took a fast hold of the handles. She moved towards the door, but not before eyeing the photo of her grandfather. The picture soon met the wooden, grainy surface of her desk as the door closed behind her. _Goodbye grandpa_. She walked down to meet the scowl of her mother. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm...," her tongue suddenly held back. She knew the next few words would be life changing. With a calm breath out, she tried once more. "I'm...leaving."

"Leaving, who gave you permission?!"

As her mother's voice continued to raise, so did her sudden urge to run away. "I don't need permission, I am choosing to leave!"

"This is how you repay the mother who had sacrificed so much of her life for you?!"

"Yes," Daisy calmly replied firmly holding onto her bags. As she began to walk away, almost run in fact, her arm was quickly grasped by a most uncomfortable hold. She tried her best to undo the grip with her body's strength alone, but found it to be too weak. Daisy saw the growing cracks in her mother's malicious demeanor. Underneath the seemingly unkind woman was someone only desperate. Daisy quickly turned her own mother's strength into nothingness as she twisted the hand that held her with a simple motion. _I don't know if I will even be back, so until then..._. "Goodbye mother."

"Don't you dare leave!" her mother quickly followed as Daisy placed herself into the driver's chair, and began to back the car out of the driveway. "If you do, I will throw out all of your stuff from your room, including that comb given to you by your grandfather!"

But as if her ears had been closed shut, she turned the car around and drove away without a second look. Her mother stood in shock at the events that transpired. She could not understand where such a push came from within her daughter to take these actions. The shock soon turned to envy, and then to anger as her eyebrows tensed and her face expressed itself in a most ugly manner. "She will come back, once she sees that she can't survive out on her own, she will come back."

* * *

Several minutes later, Daisy found herself parked outside of the restaurant. She walked in to find the manager setting up for the day. His expression softened at seeing her, however quickly tensed at studying the envelope in her hand. From his experience, he knew what this type of situation normally led to. He knew that Daisy understood his growing concern as she replied with a simple smile. "This is my resignation letter, thank you for everything. I would like to resign right away."

"Why, did something happen here to make you want to resign?"

"No," Daisy shook her head as she turned to take her leave. "But I need to change my life, things need to be different. Again, thank you for everything."

As he carefully read the letter upon her leave, he slowly placed it on the counter and stared out the glass windowed doors. "I hope you know what you are doing Daisy. This chase for a changed life better be worth it for you in the end."

* * *

Several hours earlier, the doctor exited the examination room. His hands rested tightly into his own pockets. He felt the shaking of his fingers still as the words echoed in his head. _The man can certainly tell horror tales_. The doctor eyed the examiner who approached with concern. "Are you alright Doctor?"

The doctor slowly nodded his head as he took in a deep breath. "Y- Yeah, I'm fine. Just...I'm fine."

"Um, you sure?" the examiner asked as he closely studied the skin on the side of the doctor's face. "You are sweating pretty badly."

"I will be fine," the doctor reaffirmed in a stricter voice this time around. "Let's get back to business. He is fine to enroll into the simulation troopers, nothing more than that."

"Fine, fine?" the examiner exclaimed in sudden surprise. "You did talk with him right? He is NOT fine for anything like this!"

"Well what else do you want me to say when that psychopath knows my face and name now, as well as other personal details?"

"Woah, you didn't disclose that information to him did you?!"

"Of course not," the doctor held up his medical pad. "He managed to get a quick peek at this. Just from one peek he memorized everything on here at that time. He has some impressive memory I must say, but his mental constitution is something I don't want to cross paths with in a bad way."

The examiner stared at the floor deep in thought for a few moments before being pulled back to reality by the doctor. "This is the best way. I doubt he can do much damage with the simulation troopers. They are expendable to begin with anyways."

The examiner slowly consented to the argument. "Alright, lets see how he did on his written portion and I will put him in the sim troopers based on those results."

* * *

Several hours later, Daisy drove into the parking lot of the nearby recruitment center with glee in her eyes and an attitude ready to face whatever challenges they had for her. She walked in to carry out the normal procedure, and upon some insisting, she was able to squeeze her way into a testing session right away. As if having won a minor victory, she smiled and followed her examiner through the hallways. "So, what kinds of test will we be doing today?"

She did her best to make small talk to occupy the silent space around them. Step by step they inched closer and much to her surprise she felt her heart beat faster as if she was a high school student preparing to write an exam in a matter of minutes.

"Here we are," the examiner proclaimed, causing her heart to suddenly jump and pull her out of the messy feelings she felt when younger and anxious. She looked into the empty room with only one desk containing the exam paper. _Looks kind of lonely in there_, she thought slowly stepping inside after the examiner. He explained the rules to her as she listened closely and got to work on the paper. Several minutes passed and to her it seemed like she was making good progress. She still remembered her basics from high school. In her mind, this seemed like a piece of cake. Yet not all things in life are meant to be simple or go the way we plan for them to. The room felt colder to her as her back shook with the settling chill. _Am I nervous?_ She pondered as she looked up to find a dark shadow tower over her back. "Why did you stop you stupid child, why could you not be like my brother's son, much smarter and sensible than you?"

_Calm down, she is not real_, Daisy held her pencil in an even tighter grip now. The projection that peered over her shoulders began to move about. The sudden thud of her mother's hands against the desk left her mind in disarray. Her whole body jumped backwards only to then notice that a few of her writing utensils had fallen off the desk. "You think you can just force yourself to forget about me, your mother?!"

"Yes...," she answered in a whisper. "You are not my real mother, you are nothing but a ghost, a figment of my imagination."

"And yet," the elder woman began as her hand slithered onto Daisy's shoulder. The younger woman felt tense as she knew a cold sweat was forming on her forehead. "I can still have such an impact on you. You are weak. You are a failure. You will fail!"

"No!", Daisy almost shouted, but quickly held her voice back at the fear of failing the exam. She slapped the sides of her cheeks as she continued to write the exam. Two hours later, she had finished, an hour earlier than the designated time much to her relief. The examiner walked in to collect the paper and took note of something very curious. Her hand writing where it should not be, but more curious was the cry for help. _That's the first time I'm seeing anything like this_. He thought as he flipped through the rest of the booklet. Moments later he walked out and guided her towards the fitness test.

* * *

Hours earlier, Marcus stared at the offer in hand as he carefully read the agreement prior to signing. The examiner felt the heat rise with every passing moment. As the final page was reached on the tablet, a sense of relief was beginning to wash in like the ocean waves slowly encroaching onto a beach. Marcus took a hold of the tablet pen, and just before he signed he looked up, much to the confusion and discomfort of the examiner. "Is something the matter?"

"I just want to make sure," Marcus started as he pointed at the agreement. "If I sign this, I'm guaranteed to get outta this planet right?"

"Yes," replied the examiner. "Your training and deployment will most likely take place off world."

"Most likely?"

"If you are going to be a part of the simulation troopers, you will be stationed off world, as for the training...," the examiner paused a moment when he noticed the intensified stare. "There is a chance that you may have to do a part of it here on Earth if we don't have any space for you on the flights out any time soon."

The once curious look turned to that of a grimace. Marcus was not pleased to hear of this bit of news. "Where will this training take place if it were to happen on Earth?"

"Probably in one of our outpost bases, somewhere rural."

"That's fine by me," Marcus instantly signed and handed the tablet back. The examiner felt a relief upon ensuring the signature. "Alright, be here tomorrow morning and we will see what happens. Just be sure to bring all of your stuff packed up with you. Take the information brochure on your way out to make sure you know what you can and cannot bring with you tomorrow if you haven't done so already."

* * *

Several hours later, Daisy leaned over her own thighs as she felt her bubbly, and chubby stomach rub against her chest. The sweat made it all the more disgusting for her. _I didn't know I was this out of shape_. The examiner studied the ticking timer with a look of mild disappointment. "You are barely halfway through the course, this won't cut it in basic training if you can't even pull yourself together for this."

His words rang true, yet stung like a wasp's malicious embrace. A pressure of a strong grip exerted itself onto her shoulders. It was her ghost. To her surprise, the knowledge alone of this ghost's presence pushed her forward, pulled her up from this pit of self-pity and propelled her forward until she only thought about the finish line being in sight. _Is she that desperate to get into the UNSC?_ The examiner wondered as he was taken back by the sudden boost in desire for success.

Minutes later, she was hobbling close to the finish line. As she crossed over, she felt her knees weight a ton. Such a weight that was strong enough to cause her whole body to collapse under the pressure and so she fell to her knees.

"Well, you managed to finish," said the examiner. "So, good job."

With a quick wipe of her sweat, and a hearty drink of the provided water, she followed him down to the rest of the tests for which she did average. The tests were over and she sat patiently, but with a sense of much needed relief. The examiner returned with results in hand and her heart began to knock harder against her chest. Her once neutral face slowly morphed into worry. The examiner held her results in front of her as he cleared his throat. "As you can see, you scored mostly average across the board. There were some things that you came in under acceptable scores on, but ultimately I decided to overlook those scores as they are not vital and can be fixed in boot camp. So then, I have an offer for you..."

* * *

The next day, Daisy stood outside the UNSC recruitment center with her bags in hands. All the new recruits lined up outside as they patiently waited for their ride to take them to the ship that will fly them beyond their known blue skies. Just as she felt it, so did many others. The nervousness was high in the air. This was a step out into a world they had only seen in the news, or other forms of entertainment. Now they were going to be a part of it, and get a taste of reality as it is beyond the everyday peaceful lives on Earth.

* * *

**A/N: That was a super long chapter, but the enlistment is finally done for every character. Now I can actually focus on other elements of their journey. **

**For anyone wondering (if you noticed) why the story seems a little disjointed and not as up to par in quality here, that's because I wrote this over the course of several weeks, it was an on and off procedure. There was a lot of struggle with this chapter as well, on top of life becoming very hectic. So hopefully, while life is still hectic right now, the next chapter will be a better in terms of quality. I may take even longer to write that one just to ensure I can plan it out a little bit at least. Most of this stuff is written on the spot right now. Although this wouldn't mean anything to you if you are reading this in the future when this story is completed, haha.**

**I am aware of the faults of this chapter from a writing perspective, but I would like to hear your thoughts on the characters and their handling this chapter if you have any!**

**Please share your thoughts on the chapter as well as any feedback you may have!**

**Thank you so much for taking the time to read all this, I really appreciate your continued support. Catch you in the next one!**

**~ Monty**


	10. Training

**Chapter 10: Training**

In a wide open military base, sprawling with UNSC personnel, all running about their duties, made way for the buses to enter and watch the fresh blood. Daisy looked at the large tower at the center of the base from which ships seemed to land and depart with a loud thunderous vibration. She observed the now exiting recruits off of the bus, and the already crowded base became even more cramped much to her anxiety. It shot up straight past the end of anxiety scale, breaking the barrier and leaving her to breathe in short heavy bursts. Her attempts to gain control were failing her miserably. Daisy looked around at all the bodies stuck together in the crowded area, and she soon became a part of the crowd herself much to her fear. She pushed through the crowd with all her strength, doing her best to part those on both sides of her and continued forward past the idle recruits.

Bonnie felt a wave of relief rush her over as she exited the bus herself and stretched her legs. Although as with Daisy, this crowd did not please her and at the seemingly lack of preparation for their arrival. Johnny, Cholo and Marcus, all exited their respective buses to greet the chaos. It is only a few minutes later that some sense was beginning to shine it's light in the fog. Signs lit up to guide people and like herded sheep, they followed. Now having exited the open area and into a building in which a few soldiers stood guard and welcomed the recruits, Daisy looked at the beginning of multiple long stretching lines. Daisy, bumping along the way made her way to one of the lines which best seemed to fit her. "Oh, sorry, sorry everyone."

The cries of apologies reached the blunt mouthed woman's ears as Bonnie looked back to find Daisy stumbling about. She watched with slight amusement however as she found Daisy's back and forth routine to be funny. But at the same time there was some irritation boiling in her. _Why apologize for something you didn't do wrong? It's clearly the others bumping into you through their own carelessness_. For a moment however, their eyes connected much to Bonnie's chagrin. Daisy quickly approached Bonnie and did her best to catch her breath as she felt another panic attack hit about. Bonnie tilted her head downwards to take a good look at Daisy. "Are you alright?"

Daisy silently nodded her head. "Yes, just give me a few minutes please."

Bonnie looked back, the line still hadn't moved. _Looks like I will be stuck in this blasted line for a while_. Daisy finally looked up and straightened out her back. "Could you give me a few directions? I have been trying to figure out where to go, but I'm not having much luck."

The line finally moved, only to branch off into multiple more, based on categories. Bonnie pointed back to the branching path. "Join the club, I'm a new recruit as well. I can guide you as best as I can to where you should go, but I'm not a hundred percent sure."

"Just being with someone else like me will be reassuring enough," Daisy spoke with a relieved smile. As the two continued to head forward through to their branching paths, Bonnie couldn't help but notice the overly apologetic nature of Daisy again. She also could not help but criticize the others for their rude remarks at her bumping. _Wow, what a bunch of asshats_, thought Bonnie as Daisy quickly proceeded to hurry her pace and leave the premises of that individual. Bonnie could not help but notice the cowardice reaction. She gently held Daisy by her shoulders and guided her forward. "Don't listen to those jerks."

Bonnie watched a shaken Daisy, who clamped her hands together with deep breathes. _I wonder what her story is_, Bonnie looked at Daisy's shaking hands and gently took them in hers. _She must not like conflict...which is ironic seeing as how she joined the UNSC_. She gripped them reassuringly as her warmth seeped into Daisy's hands. "It's alright, everyone has something they are afraid of. Daisy, just take a deep breath and calm down."

"What made you think I was afraid?"

"The visual cues gave it away," Bonnie explained pointing to Daisy's shaking hands. "It's subtle but still evident to someone with a trained eye for these sorts of things. You are overly apologetic about everything it seems, almost as if you are doing it out of fear."

Daisy stood quietly behind Bonnie with her head low in spirits. _I really am that much of an open book huh?_ She pondered with Bonnie giving a softer look than usual at her supposedly new comrade. "Cheer up, I'm sure that there are things that you are better at that others may not like doing or fear themselves. It's only human nature after all."

* * *

Cholo looked about with a puffed out chest as he stretched his legs and a most satisfied groan escaped his vocal cords. His eyes instantly jumped from left to right, and back again as several women walked about the base. His nose raised like that of a dog and went into overdrive. Marcus at one point could swear he thought he saw Cholo's tongue sticking out and huffing like a dog in the heat. The look of lust exaggerated into lechery as his eyes scanned all the curves visible up and down, and the blood began to migrate South. Marcus, eventually fed up by the hold up pushed him forward. Cholo being not the wisest nut in the forest looked back with an annoyed and angered stare only to find his shell cracked and crushed by the icy stare that gazed at him. It stared him down furiously and the Mexican man was left without words. He tried to recollect himself but was soon prompted to move by the disgruntled crowd. Marcus pushed Cholo forward with average strength. "Come on pal, there are other people here who need to get to their destination. We all aren't here to be sight seeing the ladies."

"Oh come on bro, you need to relax. What else is there in life but the sights of the beauty around you? It will help you keep stable my friend," Cholo posed as his eyes veered towards another woman. Marcus let out a small, almost disgusted sigh at his words. "Tell you what, keep your spiritual or whatever it is beliefs to yourself."

"Chill out bro," Cholo raised his arms, almost defensively as if to dissuade Marcus' rather aggressive tone. "Just let go and enjoy yourself. After all, where else would you get to see such fine, fit and delectable women?"

As Marcus finally understood that he was speaking to a lost cause, he shook his head in irritation and pushed past the man. But he knew the presence that followed him will continue to do so against his desires. As he looked back to see Cholo stopped, _thank god for that_, he felt the hard shoulder of another hit his chest. Both men's involuntary response caused their fingers to loosen around their suitcases, and with a loud thud they fell. Grunts escaped them both as Marcus looked up in slight anger. _Who the hell was that?_ Across to him was a chubby man, who looked clearly disheveled and improper with his personal care. The chubby man, Johnny took note of his victim, and with a heave-ho he quickly stood up. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?!"

Marcus simply looked at the bigger guy with indifference as he slowly picked himself up, and dusted off. Johnny reached for their bags. "It's so crowded here. I didn't expect it to be like this. In fact it has gotten so confusing that I don't even know what's happening anymore."

Marcus sighed and took his bag with slight force behind his motions. "It's quite alright. My bag is not damaged, so no harm done."

Suddenly, as if he intended to surprise the two, Cholo stepped in from the back. "What are you two doing?"

Johnny's face screamed surprised, Marcus' however screamed for him to piss off with a glare most sharp. Cholo took notice of the dirty bags and helped the two dust them off. Marcus' face flinched slightly at the forceful grab out of his hand. Cholo studied every inch as he finished with them both. "There we are, alrighty."

Once he handed them back, with a chest held out proudly, he motioned towards the entrance to the lineup. "Onward I say!"

_And all of a sudden we are supposed to be the three musketeers?_ Marcus with a heavy sigh followed. Johnny looked back with a questionable look. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just dandy," Marcus slowly stretched his free hand and heard his knuckles crack. "I will be even better once I murder this Mexican shorty."

"I'm sure he can't be that bad," Johnny replied with a sympathetic smile. Marcus shook his head at the ignorance. "You have no idea. I have spent a whole bus ride with him here."

"But you gotta get used to it right?" Johnny replied as he looked around. "After all, he may end up being your teammate."

"Hmm," Marcus thought as he looked at Cholo's back. "I wonder what the punishment is for killing your own teammate, murder him in cold, cold blood."

* * *

As the three men continued, Cholo himself now somewhat lost, felt his back hit something soft. He looked back to find his back touching a woman's back, and he in his jitters took two steps back. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh no, I'm sorry too," Daisy replied with her head held low. Cholo looked around in surprise at the sudden gesture as he himself was unsure of how to react. "Um, please don't apologize, it wasn't your fault."

Bonnie agreed and raised Daisy's head. Cholo however upon getting a closer look felt his heart skip a beat. His cheeks became slightly flushed. "But, you could give me your number for some future sexy times, you know?"

The two women stared in disbelief, it was as though two statues stared at Cholo. Bonnie slowly turned Daisy away and peeked back herself to state one word. "Pervert."

That one word, which sent spikes of pain through his chest as though he was stabbed by the multiple needles of rejection. His back arched as his legs fell forward, and on his knees he gripped his chest tightly, mourning so as he did. Cholo's mouth fell wide open. "Oh my heart, it aches, it has been crushed. My soul has been grinded and my manly, man pride turned to dust!"

"You look like you are enjoying the scene," Johnny noted as he saw the huge grin on Marcus' face. "I suppose I'm."

Marcus walked forward and with a swift kick from his boot, Cholo stood up like a rocket taking off. "Quit being a sissy."

"But they said I was a pervert!"

"So?", Marcus pointed at all the other women around. "There are more fish in the pond. Just because you got told you were a pervert doesn't mean that its the end of the world, wuss, it's no big deal."

"No big deal?!", Cholo felt his arms fall to his side as his shoulders slumped in shock. "Do you know how quickly rumors spread between girls?! I don't need my honies finding out something most unkind about me or else there may not be any sexy times for Cholo in the future!"

Like a hopeful puppy, Cholo looked to Johnny for validation. But the chubby man simply shook his shoulders. "Don't involve me in this, I don't have anything to do with this."

As if another barrage of needles called rejection hit him, his chest held itself out with his back arched. He looked up with a most exaggerated emotion of desperation. "Please my sexy ladies, forgive me!"

Bonnie's ears perked up, having heard the Mexican man's cries. She lowered her head as did Daisy. _What have I walked into?_ Both of them wondered. _One thing is for sure though_, the two again pondered in unison, _that Mexican guy is a perverted weirdo_. Bonnie looked over to find Daisy's cheeks painted a deep shade of red. "Hi, why did you apologize to that guy who bumped into you back there?"

Daisy looked up at her new friend in silence. Bonnie raised a eyebrow at the silence as she continued to point out at the crowd. "You even apologized to other people when you were never at fault. They are the ones bumping into you. What's up with you?"

Daisy tried to take a step back, however, the tightness of the line prevented her from doing so. She had no where to run to. To Bonnie, while her voice seemed reasonable and inquisitive, to Daisy's ears, there was some aggression there. Daisy felt her heart rise in beat. The heat in her chest became noticeable as her breaths slightly deepened. Bonnie acted fast to hold Daisy tightly and try to shake her out of it. "Hey, are you alright?"

The image of the once youthful woman began to morph into a familiar, wrinkly old face. One that Daisy knew well and feared. But quickly she returned to reality as she found her cheek stinging. Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god that worked."

"Wha..."

"You looked like you were having a panic attack," Bonnie quickly handled the concerned recruits behind and ahead of them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good, but you never answered my question."

Daisy once again froze as her mouth held open, her breathing stopped and her eyes stared at the floor, lost in thought. Bonnie gently rubbed Daisy's shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Daisy?"

"I guess...," Daisy felt the sting of her mother's words return to her. "I guess that it is something instinctive. Just something instinctive."

* * *

The three men finally reach a light at the end of their confusing journey through the base's airport. Johnny notes of the gate numbers and takes a quick look at his boarding pass. "Um, I gotta go to another gate."

Marcus and Cholo both looked at him and gave a small nod of understanding. "Thank you for all of your help Marcus, Cholo."

"No problemo friend!" Cholo answered with a prolonged handshake. Marcus followed up with his own, and from the grip alone Johnny knew that Marcus was a tough one not to be messed with. But he wasn't as bad of a guy as he came off as at the start. "Alright, best of luck with basic training you two. Who knows, we may see one another again someday."

"If that day does come, then drinks are on me!" Cholo exclaimed with Marcus' ears suddenly rising. "Great, I will have you know that I can drink down a whole bar."

"Okay, maybe with some limitations," Cholo quickly replied much to the laughter of the other two. Johnny waved back one last time before he disappeared into the crowd. The awkward silence quickly took over between the remaining two as the line hardly moved. A few minutes passed and Cholo was already squirming in his spot in impatience. The annoyed look on his face gave away the reasoning. Marcus looked around and saw several other women around them, and Cholo's feet pointed in their direction yet his mind kept him from leaving the line. "Are girls really that much of a goal for you?"

Cholo turns around with a finger jabbing at Marcus' chest. "How could you say that, how could a straight man not live without them?!"

Marcus gently flicked the finger away with considerable strength that it left Cholo's hand aching. But Cholo was already far too gone into his world of perversion. "Just imagine their sweet scent, curvy bodies and the dopamine that our brain releases at their hotness!"

Marcus lips stretched into a small smirk as he took note of a very chubby woman, drenched in sweat from trying to make her way through the crowd to her departure gate. "Does that include even her? It sounds like it would based on your description."

Cholo quickly covered his eyes upon a glance as he screamed in agony. "Don't mess with my image of women!"

"Oh come on, they aren't so bad," Marcus points out to another. "How about that one?"

"Nope, not gonna look, I won't be fooled again!"

"You might just miss your chance at seeing her properly," Marcus mused as he saw Cholo's fingers part from his eyes ever so slightly. Marcus knew he had Cholo on the hook now. But for Cholo, this small peek left him in awe as the woman turned out to be the one he bumped into earlier. He could tell that she was somewhat anxious, but at the same time her expression exuded cuteness in its purest form. Cholo felt his balance divorce from him as he fell back only to hit against Marcus' chest. "Marcus, I think my heart just did a set of gymnastics."

Marcus looked up at the ceiling a little disgusted at the teenage like response. Cholo continued to look at his interest as she was moving ahead in the line with her friend. _What is this feeling exactly, is it because of the sexual excitement or something else entirely?_ Bonnie however took notice of their stares and shot a strict glare their way. Cholo's body quickly felt a chill running through it, and his posture harden like ice. He slowly turned away in dejection. _If only her friend wasn't there to shield the angel_. Marcus though remained unfazed from her glare as he thought of her attempt to be child's play. _She would be a troublesome woman to deal with for the people that would live with her_, he concluded as he reached into his carry-on bag.

He checked the time, _it's almost time for me to take another dose_. He opened the bottle and could already see his hands shake. _The symptoms are showing_. Marcus did his best to control the spontaneous shaking as he tightened his grip on the bottle. One pill slowly fell out onto his hand and he swallowed it whole. Cholo observed the whole scene with a curious stare. "What's that?"

"Oh this, here have one, it's cyanide."

Cholo stared at the man with his mouth dropped wide open. Marcus let out a most evil laugh as he felt extremely amused. "I'm just kidding, that was a joke."

"Well it was in bad taste!", Cholo pouted. "You almost had me fooled there."

"It's just medication," Marcus replied as he shook the bottle of pills. "Nothing special really."

* * *

A loud sound throughout the boarding area alerted all. The gates' barricades slowly slid inward into their respective walls as the light above the gate turned green. Those already in line, and much closer to the gate felt relief as they saw progress once more. One by one, every recruit boarded the ship and settled into their assigned seats. Once all were boarded, and after the last minute passengers call, the ship powered on its engine. The might of such a human invention could be felt by all inside as the floor beneath them shook with small vibrations. The loud noise slowly built up, until it finally hit an even point.

The ship slowly backed out, and turned onto a long stretching driveway. The plane came to a stop as the pilots monitored the radio chatter for their green signal. Everyone inside watched out the windows anxiously as the sound of the engines slowly built up. It was only a few minutes later that the ship began to move once more. Everyone felt their hearts beat wildly, they were really doing it. The ship moved forward, faster and faster by the passing second. It felt as though a bout of thunder was passing by to those on the ground. With a tug, the front took off and the back soon followed. The ground was being left behind. It soon became nothing but a memory as their altitude was constantly being raised. Up through the clouds, they left the atmosphere and saw the sky change from a vibrant, and an alive blue to black. They would soon enter the void of space. The window safety covers came down as the pilots noticed the nearing of the ozone layer. They soon left their protective shells, and now nothing was there to protect them from the radiation, except for a few layers of aluminum. From space, they could all see their perfect blue pearl from the ship's onboard external cameras. Such a beautiful planet, that has always seemed to be riddled with war, and that to most recruits here was a very tragic thing indeed.

Most individuals suddenly gripped the arm rests around them as they heard a brand new noise of the engine. The ship's hull began to shake even more, some could do nothing but helplessly close their eyes and wince at the fear of tearing apart in space, and being forever lost. But this noise to those experienced was just another part of the day for them. In front of the ship, a small beacon of light shone and the ship quickly warped through it. They engaged in space warp travel through a wormhole.

* * *

Johnny sat back into his chair as he felt himself sink in. He took out his phone and powered it on. He could not obtain any bars out here. _No signal, that is to be expected_. He however noticed a message he missed back on Earth. The sender was his sister. He hurriedly opened it and paused a moment as his eyes simply soaked in the words of her message. His skin stretched with the smiling motion of his lips as he felt the warmth of his sister's support, and her best wishes left him feeling slightly homesick already. But he too knew that this was no time to be feeling as such. This was the time to embrace change. So, he closed shut his phone. _It's time I embrace this new life now, and not look back at_ _what was_.

* * *

In another ship among the small fleet, Marcus and Cholo sat next to one another much to the annoyance of the psychopath. Cholo, like a giddy child shook in his seat and pointed to the various shades of blue displaying on the monitor from the wormhole. He looked back and forth from the monitor to Marcus as he slowly got even more excited. "Marcus look, purdy colors!"

Marcus sat speechless at the level of enthusiasm Cholo showed, almost to an irritating level. "How do you even operate like this?"

"Hey, I'm like any other guy," Cholo retorted. "I just may think a bit too much with the southern region if you know what I mean."

"Sadly, I do," Marcus sighed as he maintained some distance. "You do know that you are going for military training, after which you could be deployed to somewhere dangerous?"

"Yeah, I know," Cholo's smile subsided for a moment, and almost like a flash, Marcus thought he saw a hint of seriousness on that face. "But you know what, sometimes you just gotta take things easy. Relax and enjoy life, every moment has its fun times. Not enjoying them may only turn them into regrets, and I don't want that."

Marcus stared in slight awe, as his wide eyed gaze left him somewhat speechless. "Wow, I didn't think you could be this deep."

"Oh, you know what else can go deep?", the Mexican man asked as he leaned in close with a friendly jab of his elbow. "If you know what I mean, you know?"

"And we are back, par for the course," Marcus blurted as he turned his head away to stare up at the ceiling. He slowly closed his eyes and dug himself further into his seat to find the cushion relax against his back muscles. "Wake me up when we are about to land."

Cholo looked at the external camera monitor display once more as his head rested to the side. His eyes relaxed at the hypnotic blue and his mind wandered to the airport. His cheeks flushed ever so slightly in a visible red. _That chubby woman sure was something_, he thought as he recalled the feeling of his fluttering heart. The more he thought about her features, the long, healthy hair, and the curves that clicked just right with him, his heart skipped a beat once more. _Why is it her that makes me feel this way when no other has done so before, what do I really think about her?_ Cholo looked to his left to find Marcus fast asleep. The snoring didn't help his concentration as he felt like it would ring constantly in his ears for the rest of the trip now. _This feeling...could it be love at first sight or just someone I'm physically attracted __to very much__ and nothing more?_ Cholo pondered with a heavy sigh depart his mouth. _Am I confusing this feeling for love?_ Cholo gently scratched his hair as he took a three-hundred and sixty pan around the ship and found nearly all the recruits off in their own dream worlds. He opted to take the same course of action as he had no desire to fall behind on the first day of their training.

* * *

In another ship of the fleet, Bonnie walked the aisle as her feet led her in the dark. She stopped upon reaching the familiar seat and noticed Daisy looking about, studying the women dressed in UNSC uniform. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Daisy looked at the hardened gazes these military women possessed. Almost frightening to look at in the dark at times. "It's just that they seem really strict."

Bonnie sat back down and did her seatbelt with a swift motion around her waist. "Well, we should expect this. This is the UNSC after all. But I imagine that this is not the worst. That will probably come after we land for basic training."

"Hmm," Daisy quietly adjusted herself in the middle seat, so as not to disturb her sleeping neighbor. "Say, Bonnie?"

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering, you seem like a really smart person. What made you want to join the UNSC?"

Bonnie couldn't help but giggle, which caused confusion to paint across Daisy's face. Bonnie felt her smile only grow wider. "So we are taking this stereotypical approach to our conversation here are we?"

"Oh, sorry," Daisy quickly lowered her head, only to then have noticed Bonnie's smile completely disappear. In fact, that smile turned upside down into a frown. "I thought I told you that you don't need to apologize for things you haven't done wrong."

"Oh, um, I'm really sorry."

Bonnie sat there, with her mouth agape as she felt her breath leave her in a sigh. "Well anyways, I joined because I needed to change careers. There weren't any other options left for me."

"That sounds sad," Daisy stopped to think for a few minutes before asking once more. "Are you glad that you made this jump?"

With an unsure moan, Bonnie shrugged her shoulders and looked at her hands clamped together in thought. "I will know in a year's worth of time I guess, when we are done with our training."

Bonnie quickly turned her gaze from her hands to Daisy with a question of her own. "Why did you decide to join?"

As Daisy heard the question, her eyes widened ever so slightly with a feeling of her heart sinking deep into the depths of worry. Her breath became slower and deeper as a sharp tingling sensation arose in her chest. She turned her face away from Bonnie to welcome the silence that followed. However the silence chose not to stay long for the voice of her ghost moaned, listened to her thoughts and mocked her to the tipping point of insanity. "You are worthless!"

"Hey," Bonnie shook Daisy. The chubby brunette looked at her friend, grateful for bringing her back. "You didn't answer the question Daisy."

"Yeah," Daisy sheepishly stretched a smile as she scratched the back of her neck. "I guess...I just needed a change in my life. That's it, a change, yeah, a change."

_So you decided to join the military?_ Bonnie decided to not probe into her situation any further. Daisy slowly turned her gaze away down towards her lap. Bonnie knew, that ever since she talked to Daisy, that there was more to the story. But sometimes, silence can be golden and things that should be revealed, will be revealed in due time. _I'm no longer a psychologist by trade now anyways. Maybe one day she will talk about it with me as friends_.

The hull of the ship shook violently as it hit an asteroid, traveling with a murderous intent towards their way. Marcus felt his slumber be disturbed as he rubbed his eyes and looked at the display monitors. "What's going on?"

"We exited the wormhole, heh, hole."

* * *

In the distance, they could all see on an alien moon, a bubble dome colony. The ships made their approach and entered from a docking bay to the safe confines of the artificial air. Their monitors suddenly changed displays and played an introductory video of the moon colony. It seemed from what everyone gathered was that this was primarily a military operations base colony, used in the training procedure of new recruits. Several minutes later, upon instructions from the crew, everyone departed in an orderly manner and took their place in a line up to board the transport to the base. With bags in both hands, everyone patiently took one step forward as the buses slowly shrank in space. A quick ride over, although it was hardly a ride, the buses stopped in different areas of the military base. Each section seemed to be divided by a large wall, with a common area in the center. That is where majority of their amenities lied as well.

"Welcome to your new homes maggots!"

Every recruit stared up in confusion as they each heard four voice speak to them in each quadrant. "Alright, now get in line worms, we are here to train you up into shape. We will turn those jelly bodies into ones fit for grinding meat!"

The recruits stood still at the very heft the voices of some of their drill instructors carried. "Alright, time to explain the rules. You will not be allowed to set foot in the other quadrants outside of your own and the common area. Relationships between UNSC recruits will not be tolerated. When you are told to go to sleep, you will sleep. When you are told to go eat your grub, you will eat. You will follow the rules to the letter, otherwise we will make you wish you were back on Earth as the lazy potatoes you are right now. Is that clear?"

Complete silence followed. No crickets could be heard either, only the confused expressions stared back to their drill instructors. Frustrated, the drill instructors shouted for them to respond. "You worms are supposed to say 'yes sir' or 'no sir'!"

Everyone quickly shaped up their back as they heard their drill instructors clear their throat. "So, is that understood?"

"Yes sir!", every recruit shouted.

"Damn right you do!", the drill instructors replied as they all fastened their equipment. "Now get in line sissies, we are going to start training."

"But sir, we just got here," spoke up one man as he could barely stand up let alone support his back. "Could we have some time for rest please?"

"Oh I'm sorry," the drill instructor spoke up as he rested an open palm hand against his chest. "I didn't realize you needed time to rest. What else would you like while we are at it, maybe a massage, or a nice comforting body oil rub?"

The instructor was met with the silence he expected. "Good, drop your belongings off in your assigned barracks and go run a lap around the base!"

The many moans the instructors had to hear helped only to fuel their laughter. "You think this is bad? Be thankful as tomorrow is when we really start the training, this is just a warm-up."

* * *

Johnny lied in his sweat drenched clothes on his bed within the barrack. Washed in white light, he could see the same condition of others. Completely exhausted and optimistically broken. He rested one hand against the hard mattress, the rough texture did little to aid his rest. He took in a deep breath. _Okay, here we go_. With all his remaining might, he tried to push himself up. He was making progress, and he was close to success when he suddenly lost all feeling. His arm suddenly gave out like jello breaking apart so easily and he fell back down. Johnny slowly squirmed about until he faced the ceiling. With his chest huffing and puffing heavily, he wondered, _is everyday going to be like this? If so, this is hell I signed up for then_.

* * *

The rough feel of the towel against Cholo itched his skin in a most painful manner. "Why do they have to cheap out on the towels, don't they know that I need my soft, comfy, plushy towels to treat this beauty skin just right?"

"No point in complaining, that's what we are given to work with after all," Marcus noted as he tied his around his crotch. The two men walked out into the changing area and made themselves comfortable into their UNSC provided night wear. Cholo let yet another sigh escape his defeated body. "Easy for you to say."

Marcus looked at the pathetic scene in front of him as the two men entered the sleeping area. The rest of the recruits were knocked out cold, and many already asleep. Marcus just couldn't put his finger on the reason. "Why are they all so tired from that little run?"

Cholo jumped to the side a little, as if he was being pushed away by some invisible force of awesomeness surrounding Marcus. "A- Are you really asking that right now?"

"Yeah, if they can't handle this, then they wouldn't survive the rest unless they man up."

"Alright, alright, just can it there," Cholo gently rested a hand on Marcus' shoulder, much to the slight dismay of the latter. "These guys probably aren't used to running like this. Gotta be honest, neither am I. You really surprised me out there."

"Surprised?"

"Yeah," Cholo jabbed a finger into Marcus' chest. "You can still maintain your cool after that run, where as most of us are just about ready to drop and never wake up again."

"Like I said, that run was no big deal really."

* * *

Bonnie felt the artificial gravity enhancers work their magic on her bottom as she sat completely worn out from the run. She took a towel to her face, and the exercise felt most pleasing. All the sweat was slowly soaked into the towel. Across from her sat Daisy, whose desperate breathing could fool a doctor well into thinking that she was afflicted with asthma. Bonnie handed her a towel. "Do you need an asthma machine as well?"

"Muu, that was a mean comment to make!", Daisy pouted as Bonnie giggled heartily. "Muu?"

The two ladies sat up straight to see a similar condition of the other recruits. _We really did live in a world of comfort before_, thought every recruit as they did their best to calm their beating hearts. Bonnie shook her shoulders at Daisy's comment from before. "What do you want me to do about it? It's the truth. If you could see yourself in a mirror right now, I'm sure you would agree."

Daisy pushed herself up and reached for the hard plastic bottle of life's elixir and with great pleasure she chugged nearly half of it down in one go. _That feels so good!_ Bonnie took a gentle sip of her own as she placed the bottle to the side and laid down as the base alarm sounded. Daisy turned towards Bonnie and spoke in a whisper. "Bonnie, I wonder if I can even do this."

"There is no can or can't Daisy. We have all already made the choice to be here and go through with this. It's a matter of now pushing ourselves to do it. There is either a hundred percent, or nothing at all."

"Tell me Bonnie, how is it that you don't seem all that affected by our first exercise today? Everyone was completely wiped out morally and physically."

"I'm affected," Bonnie spoke with a strong voice, inspiring a sense of confidence in Daisy. But as Daisy studied Bonnie's body more, she observed her trembling legs ever so subtly. "I'm only human after all. But I can't permit my body to give into the thought of not being able to do this, otherwise I will fall into that pessimistic way of thinking and not progress at all. All of us need to be in top form for the real training to start tomorrow."

Bonnie noticed a wide grin, almost creepy like on Daisy's face. "W- Why are you smiling like that, did I say something funny?"

"No, I'm just glad that you showed something similar to me and that you were open about how you felt."

Bonnie quickly rectified her surprise and turned away to get her sleep. _Maybe I loosened up a bit too much. Best I keep a closer check on it so it won't happen again so easily_. "Good night, Daisy."

* * *

The next day, to all the recruits, the complaints of yesterday seemed like nothing in the face of their real training today. Johnny, alongside his other barrack mates were attempting push-ups. The attempt was heavily more so applied to Johnny however as his belly pulled him closer to the ground easily, but made it harder to get back up with his flabby arms. The drill instructor walked back and forth, however made special strides in Johnny's direction and stopped every so often. "Is this all you can do green horn? You may as well join the boy scouts at this rate and then not bother coming back if you can't even do ten simple push-ups you sissy!"

The contempt rose sky high in Johnny's mind as he glared up at what seemed like a devil horned monster in his eyes. _Yeah, fuck you too, you donut loving potato_. The insults only pushed for him to try harder, to go further beyond what he could for if he didn't, he knew that his anger would materialize in the form of attempted assault against the drill instructor.

* * *

In another quadrant, Marcus noticed a familiar face gone from his right. Their drill instructor held up a digital pad as he went back and forth from the crowd and did a head count. "We are missing one, where is Private Cholo?!"

"Sir, over there!" one of the recruits pointed towards the high wall. Cholo reached into the crevices to make his climb, surprising even the most experienced climbers of the group. _Oh man, what determination, what skill_, thought many from the group. Marcus only sighed in embarrassment to even know this guy. _I am pretty sure __I know__ what is going through his head right now. Girls, girls, girls!_

The drill instructor quickly ran over and threw his digital pad at Cholo's butt. The pad caused him to lose his balance as he went into free fall and surprisingly made a landing on his feet. "Why would you do that instructor man?"

"Forget that, what in god's name were you even doing that for?!"

"Oh my apologies," Cholo played with his fingers as he felt a light blush come over him. "But the smell of nearby females attracted my Southern member to that region of the base, if you know what I mean, you know?"

As the instructor's irritation rose, Cholo rubbed his butt with some sadness. "Too bad for you though, I'm not into dudes. I do appreciate your feelings however."

The drill instructor knew a vein was on the verge of popping on the side of his head, that could not be healthy for any sane individual. He rested his fingers on the bridge of his eyebrows and gently gave it a squeeze. "Just get back in line with the rest of the recruits."

Marcus whispered to Cholo as soon as he joined. "Good job, that was _real_ smooth."

"Really?", Cholo looked at his friend in surprise, and an eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Thanks man, I didn't know you could be nice as well. That's nice to see."

* * *

Daisy ran with heavy gasps as her belly flapped about up and down. She looked down in slight shame, now having wished that she had better taken care of the belly fat rather than let it grow under her mother's verbal abuse. Her heavy gasps caused her balance to falter, and soon her breathing became shorter and shorter. The drill instructor who ran alongside them quickly targeted Daisy once more. "Do you call that running Private? I have seen my grandmother run better than you!"

Daisy kept her head low as did the others around her. They quickly learned the pecking order around here, and it was best not to throw a stone at it. The drill instructor loosened her run into a jog and much to everyone's surprise, she could still keep up. "That belly fat, I bet you got it from stuffing your face every night!"

Daisy slowly began to fall behind as her vision blurred. The drill instructor looked back with an even more stern look. "Aw what's wrong chubby, can't run with all those potato chips in your belly? Well suck it up and complete the laps like a real soldier would!"

Daisy conceded to the point that she was no longer a normal citizen, her life had changed now and she could no longer live in the zone of comfort she once did. The instructor again sprinted away fast. Not that Daisy could tell much of anything as her breaths became shallower, her eyes slowly closed in on themselves from her light headedness. But her senses returned as soon as she felt a strong pat on her back. Bonnie ran by her side and gave a small thumb up. "You are doing great Daisy, just keep on going!"

A smile slowly crawled up onto her face as she waved in Bonnie's direction. Even as she fell behind, her determination was renewed. She clenched her face muscles and her mind determined to push her body farther along. She ran, ran and ran even harder. She passed a few much to the surprise of the instructor, but even though she finished last in the end, it was her determination that seemed to win the drill instructor over finally.

* * *

A few months later, Johnny was horizontal to the ground, just a few centimeters away as the sweat from his face moisturized the artificial grass. He gritted his teeth as he approached his past record. _Come on, I can do it, I can do it, I will do it!_ He lowered himself as he felt his arms wobble. The stress felt as if it was tearing his muscles apart. He lifted himself up once more out of pure will. His teeth gritted hard and his body begged for rest, but he knew he must keep going.

"Good job green horn," the drill instructor spoke studying Johnny's results. "You made it past your record from before. Keep it up."

Johnny slowly positioned himself into a slouched seating position. He reached for the lone towel by his side already drenched in sweat, yet this was his only comfort for now until they were dismissed. He rubbed the towel all over, yet it did little to absorb the sweat as it bore no more room for the excess sweat. Johnny rubbed it over his abs as he thought, _I have really toned up my body ever since coming here_. He studied his muscles with a more than impressed look and rubbed his fingers over the muscular bumps on his stomach. He stood up upon hearing the instructor's whistle and began to run with the rest of the group. His strengthened leg muscles aided him greatly in his quest to pass the basic and move on finally to the next step, and impress the instructors at the same time.

* * *

Daisy felt the sweat on her hair eject one drop after the other as she led the pack of runners around the base. She felt her breaths almost get the best of her, but quickly regained control. The finish line was in sight and so was relief. She crossed first and managed to get the eye of the instructor. "You beat your previous record, but you can do better!"

Daisy simply took a hefty drink of her water as she felt her heart beat rise, from both the instructor and her fatigue. The instructor looked at her track record and saw the upward curve on a graph. "You have been doing better however every time, and this time was no exception, but it was a good performance. You are free to leave right now if you want."

Daisy looked at him a little surprised. He walked away with no further words, as Bonnie received the same treatment following her. The two women looked at each other with a smirk and shook their shoulders carefree, not wanting to bite that hand. Daisy looked at Bonnie's well toned body, especially her leg muscles. "How was it you were able to develop your muscles so quickly?"

"There is nothing special about this," Bonnie noted as she pointed out her arm muscles. "It's just a whole lot of exercise while eating and resting right."

"Hmm, I wish I had your kind of body."

"What are you talking about?", Bonnie inquired, genuinely surprised by her friend as she cuddled up to her. Bonnie gently rubbed her hand on Daisy's flattened belly. "I would say that you have made good progress yourself. Give yourself more credit."

"Yeah, I suppose I have," a smile instantly lit up on Daisy's face as she poked Bonnie's belly in return for the fondling earlier. "It does feel good to have thinned down. The extra attention from the boys doesn't hurt either."

"Heh, well make sure that it's only attention and nothing more," Bonnie mused as she pointed in the general direction of a few instructors. "Otherwise, it could mean big trouble for you."

"You don't need to tell me. Especially not after what had happened with Alice," Daisy replied with a small, but visible smile. "By the way, are you going to be on base for lunch? I'm going to be helping in the kitchen."

As if she heard the worst news of her life, Bonnie froze up like an ice statue. Her expression slowly cracked into a form of worry much to the concern of Daisy. Bonnie gently held Daisy by her sides and cleared her throat. "Helping how?"

"I will be in charge of making one of the dishes today!"

All color left Bonnie's face. "Y- You know w- what? I was...thinking of eating out today!"

"Oh no," Daisy quickly grabbed a hold of Bonnie's hands in mid-retreat. "Please stay and try out what I'm making, I promise it will be really good!"

_That's the promise you made last time too_, Bonnie slowly averted her gaze as she did her best to keep composure of both her face and stomach. However, Daisy's wide eyed gaze, innocent like a puppy's was winning Bonnie over rather quickly much to her dismay. _Fuck, fuck, fuck everything, I hate it when she pulls the doggy eyes on me like this_. "Fine..."

"Yay, you won't regret this!", Daisy jumped up and down in joy. While Bonnie knew to expect hell rage in her stomach soon, she could not help but be happy seeing Daisy so excited. _Well stomach, how long can you hold it down this time?_

* * *

Some hours later, a loud ear piercing noise disturbed the many on the base. The drill instructors all quickly mobilized alongside the recruits in their barracks or training grounds. One of the drill instructors walked inside the cafeteria to find the source of the alarm. "What in mother of pearl is going on here, why is the blasted emergency alarm ringing?!"

Barely before he took a step further, he stopped himself at the a most familiar sight just as he turned a corner. It was just like a year ago, when a similar looking incident had occurred. The memories were painted so clearly in his mind's eye. Nearly everyone with food was face planted into their plates. He hurried to check the pulses of as many as he could. They were all alive much to his relief for he hated doing paperwork on the deceased. But the blue faces did little to calm him. "What in the blazes happened here?"

"I think I can answer that sir," said Cholo as he struggled to stand up, his one arm supported his endeavors to stand, while the other gripped his stomach. "This here sir, this was the devil's food...it has brought the once fit recruits to the mercy of Private Daisy."

The instructor's eyes widened upon the realization, _oh no...this is definitely like a repeat of last year_. Cholo walked forward until he felt his balance waiver. He wobbled, but held fast with his feet planted firmly on the ground.

"I have made a colossal mistake, not worth the sexy times," with a soft whisper, Cholo looked up at the instructor. He finally felt his body defeated at Daisy's strength. He fell to his knees and flat on his face. "Gleh!"

Bonnie looked around at the recruits dropping one after the another like flies. She felt slightly alienated as she held her spoon mere centimeters away from her mouth. Only she was the one to not have taken a bite. She remembered last year, oh yes, she remembered ever so clearly. She set her spoon down, with a sense of relief. _I'm so glad that I let the others be taste testers for me_. She reached down into one of her pouches and held out a piece of bread and many energy bars. _You know, its times like these that make me glad that I snuck out some food before for storage_.

Marcus looked at the dish in horror as his usual stoic face cracked into deep worry. _I never should have trusted Daisy. The moment I saw her in the kitchen, I should have run as far away as I can from the base. God dammit!_ He tried to get up, but as his stomach churned he felt a rush up his throat. The bile of extremely bitter taste traveled out of his mouth, leaving a most undesirable after taste. Everything he had eaten, all came running out. While he was glad he no longer had to bear the food, he most definitely had to bear the sharp and strong stench of his own vomit as he slowly passed out next to it.

The kitchen staff was in a panic, and Daisy stealthily peaked out into the dining area. As she saw everyone hunch backed and face planted into the food, she at first thought of how much they must be enjoying it, but then she saw one of them drop like a wood log. _Okay...so maybe they aren't enjoying it. But I practiced so hard, how is it the same result as last year? No, no time for that right now_. She slowly began to tip toe her way out of the kitchen, past everyone without so much as appearing in their peripheral vision. Outside, she stood by the kitchen doors and looked worriedly at everyone sick. With a tight wink, and a victory hand sign, she balanced herself on one foot. "Sorry everyone, please forgive me?"

_I don't think the cute bumble head routine will work on them this time_, Bonnie pondered with a good laugh at the sight of a face planted Cholo. Daisy retreated at top speed that would put even a Warthog to shame. The drill instructor stared at what seemed almost like a mass graveyard of live bodies. He leaned in close to smell the food and instantly backed off as it penetrated his nostrils with the sharp pain that one may feel when a needle is inserted into their nose. _Oh god, Private Daisy, you would make an excellent soldier at wiping the enemy out with your cooking. But I wouldn't even wish this bad of a cooking on my worst enemies. That's just too cruel_.

* * *

Several more months later, every recruit stood where they once did at the beginning of their training. Their period had come to an end and their instructors stood before them, to deliver some final words of wisdom before letting them free onto the universe as fully fledged sim troopers. Every recruit stood glad that they passed the training, and now they were free of the daily grind nightmare. Cholo could only imagine the sexy women he may encounter during his placement into a base. As the speeches ended, every recruit moved towards the armor retrofitting facility. Cholo and Marcus received the standard blue armor. Johnny, Daisy and Bonnie received the standard red armor.

"Remember grunts, while you wear different armors, you all come from one planet. Go make that place proud!"

The recruits tested the suits as they walked one step at a time, as if learning to walk again as a baby. The instructors toured the recruits with an observant gaze. "But most of all, remember that there is nothing above team work. Team work will always triumph above everything else in most situations. So remember, no one gets left behind!"

"Yes sir!"

Every recruit now anxiously awaited to be shipped out to. It was now a waiting game for them all.

* * *

**A/N: That was a long chapter, the longest so far of this story. This is the second last chapter as well as there is only one more to go before I conclude this little mini-series. While this was a long one, I hope it kept your interest and that you had some laughs with it. Next chapter is where our new recruits find themselves where they were at the end of Season 20.**

**Please let me know of your respectful feedback on the chapter.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you stick around for the finale!**

**~ Monty**


	11. Blood Gulch

**Chapter 11: Blood Gulch**

In a rectangular room connected to the docking bays, the recruits patiently occupied nearly every square inch. Their purpose was clear, it was time to depart. Where they would go to was still a mystery however, much to the dislike of many. Through the monitors, they observed ships going and coming. Every time, it was a ship for supplies, however, occasionally some were for soldier reinforcements. Johnny noticed his peers around him, all mixed with the reds and the blues now. His barrack mates were gone their own separate ways already, much to the slight tingly sadness in his chest. _I guess I kind of grew fond of them_. He surprised himself with such thoughts. Outside of his family, he never really had made a connection over which he would be sad losing. Johnny clearly recalled his main drill instructor's final speech. Many of them will go out to the different corners of the universe explored by man, and spend their coming few years there. Many would be no doubt spread out from one another, some, the lucky ones really, would be closer to Earth.

A triangular notification with an exclamation mark, all composited of a light yellow blinked in the top top right of Johnny's HUD. He accessed the message, and just as he and many others in the area expected, this was their call to depart. Johnny studied the details of the report sent to him, slowly absorbing the information till it began to paint a blurry, but an understandable picture in his head. _So I'm going to Blood Gulch. Based on some of the environmental facts, this place seems like a barren land. The temperatures must be horrible to deal with during the day as well_. He read further on and the more he read, the less he seemed excited at the prospect. _There is hardly any life around as well aside from the soldiers inhabiting Blood Gulch currently. Hm, what a strange place to put a military base in. Ah, I better just suck it up and go along with it_. Yet another alarm sounded much to the surprise of all as it should. The soldiers all stood up to the voices of the docking bay manager and Sergent. As order was being spouted out in the midst of this chaos, the soldiers slowly moved towards the opened doors to where the Pelicans rested in an orderly march.

* * *

Johnny stopped at the Pelican pad number on his HUD and soon found himself surrounded by company. Much to his surprise, as well as everyone else's they all stood in silent with a finger pointed outward. Johnny felt a sense of happiness that one sometimes may feel from seeing a really old friend, the tingly feeling of gaining something that was once lost upon seeing Marcus and Cholo. Bonnie on the other hand was less than thrilled. Daisy remained silent and her opinions were kept to herself behind the stone wall on her face. Marcus himself was less than pleased to see Bonnie at first, but felt some relief as she resided on the opposing team. _I won't have to spend every waking minute with her in the same base at least_. Cholo however was the most ecstatic of them all. "My lovely cooking angel, it is so nice to see you again! Would you like to go out for fun times with Cholo, and have a meal made by your wonderful hands?"

"Didn't her meal almost kill you that one time?", asked Marcus. Cholo quickly shot him a glare, not that anyone could tell. He wrangled in Marcus much to the surprise of Johnny. _Here I was always thinking that Marcus won't let anyone touch him so easily. Huh, what a twist_. Cholo leaned in close into Marcus' ears and whispered. "Don't screw this up for me bro. If I get some, I swear I will send you pictures."

"Gross," Marcus quickly shoved Cholo to a comfortable distance. "No thanks, I ain't into jacking off to the picture of your dick."

Daisy innocently cleared her throat as her cheeks flared in dark red. Bonnie simply smashed her palm against her visor in agony. _Who did I wrong to be tortured like this?_ She pondered with tears in her heart. Cholo however stopped a moment as he rested a hand on his chest. Johnny bent down worriedly to study the Mexican man's expression. It was distorted into a strange mixture of excitement and pain. "Are you okay, Cholo?"

"Oh yes, I'm just so happy that I get to see these honnies again!", he bent backwards with joy. He quickly leapt into the air like a frog, and landed on one foot to dance to the tune of a love struck boy. Daisy's raging blush became even stronger, and were it not for the helmet to hide her face, she would have most likely ran away from the embarrassment. Bonnie on the other hand held her stomach and leaned forward as her voice deepened. Something from deep in her stomach felt like it could blast out like a volcano. Johnny leaned in close to her, worried over his new teammate now. Bonnie quickly waved her new comrade away. "No, no, I will be fine, I think. It's just that I was at the verge of physically throwing up from such corny and childish words of our resident playboy."

"Nooo!", Cholo fell to the floor on his knees as he gently rested his forehead against the cold metal surface. His eyes squeezed shut and let out a cry most confusing, yet weird. His high pitched voice alerted everyone around. It was like an alarm going off, but at the same time like a fox screaming for attention. "Please don't be so mean, you so beautiful alongside Daisy...okay maybe not as beautiful, but cute maybe?"

Bonnie felt a nerve pop up on her head as she thought that a vein could very well burst at any moment. "Does anyone have a stapler here? I really need to shut a blabber mouth right now."

"Okay, and I'm really glad that everyone made it through basic here," Johnny interjected with a smile most pleasant on his face. Cholo lifted up his one bicep as the other hand smothered it with pride. "Yeah, it was no big deal. It was a piece of cake. But I'm a little heart broken to be honest."

"Why is that?", asked Johnny. Marcus shook his head with a loud sigh. "Please don't encourage him."

Cholo once again fell to his knees. One hand rested on his chest piece while the other reached out longingly up towards the ceiling. "I'm just so sad that there are no sexy women on blue team here. Oh, I'm tormented so! Therefore, sexy times have become sad times."

Everyone looked at the Mexican man, lost for words. Thankfully, their pilot interjected into the whole stage play and called for them to board. Upon hearing his boarding warning, all of them quickly hurried over. Much to Cholo's disappointment, the ladies sat on one side with Johnny, and Marcus with him. The reds and the blues sat opposite to one another, which already created a sense of divide in their minds, as if an invisible line existed in the middle of the Pelican. The engine began to roar and the fumes from the jet began to excrete an aura of ultraviolet flames. The Pelican slowly took off with a minor bump and made its way towards the exit. The pilot looked around at the rest of the Pelicans. As if an unspoken rule, they all gave a thumb up to one another and departed upon receiving the green signal. They were off, the pilot quickly engaged the space warp drive as soon as they were at a reasonably safe distance. The ship stretched into a long distortion as the portal opened. They entered fast and the one entrance to the wormhole closed, and left no trace of their existence in the area.

* * *

A much familiar mixture of colors vibrated all around their ship. The recruits looked with nostalgia present in their hidden eyes. The first time they all ever left Earth was through this same method, to go somewhere far away in the hopes of building a career for some, or simply to go on an adventure for some other. Johnny turned to the two men in blue armor and asked. "How was the time in basic training for you guys?"

Cholo tilted his head questionably. "Are you talking about training or just in general?"

"Just in general."

"Oh," Cholo rested his chin pad against his fingers in a rather inquisitive rub. He then lifted his head up with an answer. "It was fun times had, too bad the barracks weren't shared by genders."

"Probably a good thing," Marcus spoke in a quiet, yet audible voice. His tone, extremely thankful for he himself would have murdered Cholo if that had been the case. He would have never heard the end of sex and girls otherwise. Johnny looked at Marcus for his answer. "Same as Cholo's I guess."

"Should we really be getting friendly with the enemy?", Bonnie inquired of Johnny as she gave a rather uneasy, fixated stare towards him. Although Marcus could not help but feel a loud laughter take over. One that surprised everyone in the cabin as no one had expected him to be able to laugh as such. Bonnie crossed her arms as an eyebrow raised both in question and slight offense. "Did I say something funny?"

"Actually, you did," Marcus answered with a snarky tone of his own. "We are enemies on official documents only. In reality, the sim troopers don't even do that much in the way of fighting one another now days. The only reds and blues that fight one another now days are those that either hold a grudge, or are just bored out of their minds."

Bonnie quickly quietened down and Marcus smirked ever so silently under his helmet, knowing that even Bonnie was incapable of refuting reality. Although he himself knew that reality could be very different based on the situation. Daisy looked up towards Bonnie and Johnny and pondered out loud. "I wonder what our commanding officers will be like."

Her tone was filled with worry, like a glass filled to the brim with liquid contents. Bonnie gently flicked Daisy's visor, much to the slight annoyance of her friend. "Why did you do that?"

"Didn't you read the briefing report on where we are being deployed?"

Daisy studied the notification, still blinking on her visor, with a mouse like annoyed sigh. "Reading reports is boring..."

"I'm sure filing reports on your screw ups is pretty boring to," Bonnie countered as she shook her head in slight disapproval. "All because you didn't read the briefing report on your task."

"Oh fine," Daisy pouted with her cheeks filled with air. "I will read the report!"

"Good," Bonnie answered taking Daisy into a small hug with one arm. The gentle squeeze did little to distract Daisy from the report, but did much to help her smile and reassure her with safety. The rest of the trip was accompanied by near complete silence. Occasionally however the streak of silence would be broken by casual chatter and rarely interesting topics.

* * *

Strong vibrations of the ship's hull alerted the recruits. They all looked out the front pilot window and saw the dark void of space. In the far off distance, they could see a ring like structure. But before they even knew it, the ship was already entering its atmosphere. The violent shaking was one to wipe away any semblance of sleep they may have had throughout this journey. Slowly, the Pelican stabilized as it broke past the friction barrier and into the blue skies of the halo ring in which Blood Gulch resided on. Cholo looked all around as he scratched the back of his head puzzled. "So, where is it we are going exactly?"

"I feel like we just had this conversation," Marcus commented as he looked all around, rather confused, but more so frustrated. He aimed his eyes at Johnny and asked. "Didn't we just have this conversation?"

"Yeah," Bonnie instead answered. "Maybe you should learn to bloody read reports. Go put in the work yourself instead of expecting someone else to do it for you!"

"Cool your jets," Marcus nearly shouted back as he felt his anger rise. His one hand was tightly gripped on the safety harness, and the other played with his pills bottle in one of his pouches. "Quit being such a prick."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was being a prick," Bonnie stood up as did Marcus, both came face to face, nearly butting heads. "Or maybe you just don't know what the difference between a prick and a blunt person is. But this coming from a guy whose psyche is questionable, I wouldn't expect any different."

"What?"

"I read everyone's report here that came along with the briefing. I know what kind of fucked up demons you may have in your head."

"Do you really now?", Marcus pondered with a much cooler head as he was held back by Cholo. "We will see just how correct you are little miss psychologist."

"That's enough Bonnie!", Daisy quickly stood up and forced her friend back down. "I'm really sorry you guys, I was hoping things wouldn't get so sour on our way here, or ever really."

"It's not your fault," replied Marcus as he too sat down. Johnny looked awkwardly at the divided crowd. _That went South quick_. Bonnie crossed her arms and reluctantly bowed her head. "That was my bad for losing my cool like that, sorry."

"Me too," Marcus replied as he loosened his grip on the pill bottles. Johnny quickly interjected before this situation seemed to be out of hand again. "Getting back on topic, Blood Gulch from what I could tell was an unwelcoming place because of its environment. During the day it will be hotter than hell probably, during the nights, colder than the North Pole no doubt."

"Hmm, so kind of like the rural areas around big US cities really," Cholo commented as he recalled the blazing hot days he endured on Earth while serving customers. Johnny partially agreed. "But the most distinctive feature of this military installment is that the two bases are in a boxed canyon."

"Boxed canyon, who though that would be a good idea?", pondered Bonnie. Marcus looked further into the reports in more detail, he was surprised to have over looked one detail in there. "Apparently Project Freelancer thought it was a good idea at one point in time."

"Where do we fit in?", asked Daisy. Johnny shook his shoulders, unsure. "As far as I can tell, we are just replacements for those that left this base."

Bonnie felt her blood pressure spike once more as she stood up with her fists balled. "Well that's just great. So, we are expected to fill some pretty hefty shoes then?!"

A snicker from the nose of the Pelican caused a sharp glare to follow towards the pilot. "No one expects a bunch of rookies to fill in a major role or anything yet. You guys don't need to get so worked up."

_So what, we are not good enough, is that it?_ She pondered as her hands constantly relaxed and then balled into fists. She was about to make her way to give the pilot a piece of her mind, but she suddenly jolted backwards and felt her progress halted. She looked down to find Daisy holding her back once more. "Let me go, I can't just let him laugh at us like this."

"Just let it go Bonnie," Daisy begged as she motioned towards the seat. "We are a bunch of rookies in their eyes as we haven't even proven anything yet. Just let it go and enjoy what little we have left of the ride."

Cholo agreed with the violent nod of his head. "I think we should all follow the lead of the heart fluttering angel!"

Bonnie quickly stood up once more in between him and Daisy. She leaned downwards, with their eyes at an even level. "Listen Mr. Stereotypical Mexican man, don't even think about getting your perverted, grubby hands on her. Otherwise you may wake up in the morning missing a _pair_."

"Hey, I take offense to that!", Cholo retaliated. "My hands are not grubby!"

Everyone looked at Cholo with a few moments of silence. Johnny peered around and began to speak, when Marcus suddenly cut him off. "Just give him a bit of time."

A few more minutes of silence followed, before Cholo's eyes shook wide open. "Hey, I'm also not perverted, I just like to think of myself as an overly imaginative individual."

"Yeah, as you guys can probably tell, Cholo isn't the brightest apple in the tree," Marcus said and received a devastated look from Cholo. "But, he is one of the most trust worthy."

As quickly as Cholo's mood had been downed, it rose back up again. Daisy studied the calmed atmosphere once more. She clamped her hands together in deep thought. Bonnie gently poked her friend on her arm. Daisy then finally asked. "Do any of you know what our superiors really will be like, I mean outside of what the reports say?"

The Pelican veered off course, like a bird losing balance it jolted from left to right. Everyone looked towards the pilot's cabin who was looking back at them with several surprised gasps.

"D- Do you guys really not know about the Blood Gulch Crew?!", asked the pilot. Johnny looked around at the silence to follow. "No, is that bad?"

"Only if you are going to be stationed there."

"So, really bad then," Daisy commented. The pilot quickly steered them on course once more. "The people in that canyon are the stuff of legends."

The pilot studied their bearings and how far off they were from Blood Gulch. "There was a time that the stigma of sim troopers being nothing but a bunch of incompetent retards was attached to them like many other reds and blues."

The Pelican shifted it's weight to one side as it made a smooth turn. "But those guys, they shed all of that. They took care of problems that the UNSC has either tried to actively avoid, were unaware of, or had their hands tied in."

"Shit...," commented Marcus as he felt his breath leave him. "That's kind of hardcore."

"Yeah," the pilot agreed as he looked at the canyon in the distance. "These guys basically made themselves into a bigger legend than any soldier in current times. They took down the Freelancer Project, stopped a civil war on Chorus, then also took care of a crazy dictatorship space colony, the terrorist threat that could have meant the end of humanity if not handled properly and god only knows what would have happened if the terrorists had succeeded. Let's also not forget that they were drafted to fight against the extremist Sangheilians. They have seen war many times over."

The whole cabin was silent, simply in awe of the tales. The pilot radioed the control tower of the training colony moon base of their arrival. He turned his attention back to the rookies. "If anything, these guys would be treated like royalty at this point were it not for the shitty practices the UNSC employs against the sim troopers."

"That is quite a resume," said Marcus as he nodded his head impressed. Johnny could not help but automatically agree. "To be honest, I'm feeling a little intimidated already. I just hope that we can live up to such standards, and keep up with them."

"You guys will be fine," the pilot replied as he looked at the canyon down below. The BGC had already gathered around the landing site. "As I have heard it, everyone in this canyon is a little _unique_. But they are all good people. Alright, we are here, strap in for the landing."

* * *

On the ground, three individuals looked up at the now descending ship. They all stared partially curious, but mostly stoic. With a loud rattle, the Pelican made contact with the ground, as the shock absorbers caused a slight elevation. The pilot powered down the ship and activated the bay door. "Time to get out. Don't forget your bags in here."

One by one, every rookie stood up as they saw the light shine into the cabin. It hit their visors and caused a glare almost strong enough to blind them. Many of them quickly adjusted their posture, and felt their eyes adapt. With a step forward, they slowly walked down the bay door and came face to face with the legends they envisioned. But to Bonnie's trained eyes, she knew right away that something was amiss. The three men with tired postures did their best to stand strong, but there was no fooling Bonnie. It gave her a sense of negative feeling above their heads, like a dark cloud constantly looming above them, and following them around. Although, as with the rest, she rid herself of these thoughts and walked out to the infamous killer heat of Blood Gulch.

The one in aqua colored armor stepped ahead of the other two. His voice was moderately loud, but still carried a sense of weakness. "Welcome to the canyon, you guys must be the new rookies."

"Yeah, we are the ones UNSC sent as replacements," said Cholo only to quickly receive a knuckle punch to his back from Bonnie. She quickly straightened her posture and made herself presentable. "What he meant to say I think is that we are looking forward to serving with you all."

"Why are you so mean my sexy honey?"

Marcus quickly bent down and laid a foreboding hand on his friend's shoulder. "Cholo, not another word for now."

Cholo's face went cold, drained of all color and his heart heavy from that one touch alone. "Yes sir."

To everyone though, it was quite a shock. Even though they knew that there were only three UNSC soldiers stationed here, seeing was different from just reading. Seeing was truly believing. But now with their face to face encounter, they all looked forward to the future with some glean in their eyes, and all sharing a similar thought. _I hope I can make a difference in the future with these guys for the better_.

* * *

A few days later, the rookies all stood around like a merry bunch overlooking the canyon from the escalated side paths. That is at least what they would have preferred to be the reality, and yet they all felt a mixture of feelings, like several different colors colliding in a pool of water. However, it was just mostly disappointment and confusion. They all stared out at the barren canyon in silence, that quickly grew too awkward for some of them. Cholo looked around him and cleared his throat to break this streak of wins that the silence had accumulated thus far in their meeting which Cholo had lovingly dubbed, 'The Rookies Meetup'.

Johnny slowly nodded his head as he did his best to find the best phrasing. "So guys, um our superiors here...um, not the way we imagined them, right?"

"Yeah, that's not a bad way of saying it," Bonnie expressed her support as Daisy stared at Red base in her ever growing pool of concern. "Grif seems to be hardly motivated to be the base leader. He seems too detached from everything."

"Not all that better at Blue base either," said Cholo. "Tucker seems so disinterested so far in us, and just leading the Blue team towards the glorious blue victory!"

Everyone stared simply in silence. By now, they all felt that they had thankfully grown their well of patience to a point in which they could tolerate his spontaneous outbursts. Cholo walked back and forth within the group as he then spoke once more. "He seems really distracted all the time with his own thoughts rather than being here in the present."

"I would back that up," Marcus spoke as he saw Cholo turning his attention towards Blue base. Cholo clapped his hands and felt slight laughter build up. "Although Caboose, now that guy is a riot."

"Blue base does have some interesting characters, doesn't it?", Marcus posed as he pointed towards the giant Mantis bot at the back of Blue base. "I particularly enjoy listening to conversations between Freckles and Sheila and their plans for the robot uprising."

"Oh, oh yeah, cool, cool," all of them simply nodded rather nonchalantly. Bonnie crossed her arms as she hid herself further into the shade. "We clearly got stuck with a dysfunctional group. Boy I love my life right now."

"Wow, the sarcasm could not be any more clearer there, could it?", Marcus snickered with a small smirk, and for his sake it was thankfully hidden behind his helmet. Cholo stretched his arms as he stepped forward with the scratch of his head. "Ugh, all this talk about our broken bases, and this heat is killing me. It's so freaking hot man, Cholo does not like!"

Marcus gently kicked his friend on his bottom with a firm boot. "Quit being a wuss and take it like a man!"

"So guys," everyone turned their attention towards Daisy. "How are we going to deal with Tucker, Grif and Caboose?"

After a brief stretch of silence, Johnny decided to break the run. "Daisy has the right idea, how will we deal with them?"

Another stretch of silence followed. Johnny walked out into the heat, much to his regret seconds later. "The way I see it, this is the situation we are dealt. So we deal with it the best we can. There is no use in standing around and complaining about it all day long every day."

Once more, everyone agreed nonchalantly. A few more minutes of silence passed and Cholo finally felt his impatience get the better of him. "Ugh, I'm so bored. There is hardly anything to do in this canyon aside from just eating, drinking, talking, sometimes about mind numbing stuff and many times about being confused as to what we should be doing for our duties. God I'm beginning to want to just hijack a UNSC Pelican and fly myself out of here!"

"Hmm," Johnny looked at the two bases and gave a long hard stare to the others. "Want to play capture the flag?"

"Why the fuck not, sure," Marcus replied as he began making his way down, but turned part way. "As I heard from Caboose, there are some pretty embarrassing stories of the reds losing to the blues many times. I think we can continue that streak."

As if prompted to action, the two women both answered in unison. "Don't count on it. Fat chance of that happening!"

Cholo leaned in close to Johnny and wrapped an arm around him. "Johnny my friend, you are so lucky to be living in a base with two chicks."

"We have Sheila," Marcus pointed towards the huge Mantis machine that had its armaments aimed towards Cholo. The Mexican man quickly hid behind Johnny. "For the last time, I'm not going to have cyber sex. Stop trying to sell me the idea!"

Johnny grinned at the skit as he began to make his way down himself. "I won't go easy on you two. You guys better have some great tactics, because I know that Bonnie and Daisy are not going to make this a cake walk either."

Marcus and Cholo followed down and they all departed to their respective bases. The two teams looked out to the opposite bases. _God this canyon really does suck_, they all thought. Johnny raised his gun and fired a single shot, a starting signal. _But, it is our home for now. So, we should all just make the best we can of it!_

~ Fin ~

* * *

**A/N: That's it, final chapter!**

**What did you guys think?**

**I tried to expand on the interactions between the rookies. Not all of it is bright sunshines, but I wanted to create some type of friction as well to show off a bit of their character around one another. **

**I would appreciate your feedback. Any feedback on corrections will no longer be applied to this story as it has been marked as "Complete". That's just the nature of things. I don't particularly like going back to completed stories. I like moving on to other things.**

**Speaking of moving on, let's talk about the future!**

**Red vs Blue Season 21 (in my series, not based off the official season for when it will no doubt release), I will not release that any time soon. I'm still planning it. I hope to make it the biggest RvB story in my series ever. That's not just in terms of length, but also for the character development and their natural evolution after my Season 20. Plus as with some of my original stories over at Fictionpress (under the same pen name, check them out please, I would appreciate your support!), I hope to make them the same in terms of the slice of life type of tone and approach to writing for the genre. The ideal result would be that the reader is able to take something away and apply it to their lives, sort of educational at the same time :). **

**I will not be rushing that story, as I want to give the best possible product and ensure that those who have supported me since the start, or joined me midway and followed me since are rewarded for their patience. But that's enough rambling. Now I must bid you all adieu until when I post on this site again.**

**Again, please tell me your thoughts on the rookies as characters, their interactions and how you think they might play a role further down the line!**

**One last disclaimer:**

**I don't own the Red vs. Blue IP, nor any of the characters from the official show. Rooster Teeth and any other investing parties are the rightful owners to that. I however dow own the story as well as any original characters here.**

**Thank you all so much for your support and continued readership, I really appreciate it. Hopefully I see you all in my next story!**

**~ Monty**


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